


Yin & Yang

by Nevyn



Category: Castle
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Phone Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-31
Updated: 2012-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-06 10:32:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/417866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevyn/pseuds/Nevyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beckett finally realises what Castle was talking about when he mentioned Yin-Yin being a name for a panda. Minor spoilers for 1x09 (Little Girl Lost). Set post-Deadpool.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written with the welcome assistance (and occasional reminder to get back to writing) from Manuxinhace :-D

Kate Beckett was restless. No, she was tired and cranky, and not being able to sleep was just pissing her off even more. She shifted in her bed _again_ , adjusting her pillow and rolling over so she wasn't touching Josh at all. Wriggling down, she finally seemed to find a position comfortable enough to allow her to doze off.

 _As if I'm going to get any decent sleep now_ , she thought bitterly, the bedside clock reading 3:15am. Sighing, she closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

* * *

The incessant blaring of her alarm shattering the pre-dawn quiet, Beckett groaned and rolled over, slapping the 'off' button and shuffling her way to the bathroom, turning the shower on as she stripped off her singlet and panties. Stepping into the steamy water, she allowed her head to fall against the cool tiles for a moment, letting the heat soak into her, gradually bringing her closer to waking.

As she absently performed her morning cleaning ritual, her mind began to wander, trying to place exactly what had been nagging at her for a while now. She had been getting progressively more easily irritated over the last few months, and it was starting to show. It wasn't anything that she had really noticed at first, but lately the smallest things seemed to set her off, and there didn't really seem to be any main factor responsible. Their cases hadn't been particularly difficult lately, so that was out. Castle had been (relatively) quiet, his inputs insightful, with not even a mention of a three-letter government agency. She smiled slightly recalling his words from last night as she signed off the charge paperwork for the man they had in lockup.

" _There now, Beckett, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Castle's cheerful grin might have sounded off the cuff, but the mischievous sparkle in his eyes gave the words a whole different layer of subtext. She paused, quickly filling out the last required signature on the forms and put her pen down. Turning to face him, a half-smile formed as she bit her lip, a knowing look on her face as she saw his eyes dart to her mouth briefly. A forced tone of casualness in her voice, she teasingly replied,_

" _Oh, I don't know, Castle… Sometimes I'm a fan of easy…" A sultry smirk tugging at her lips, she couldn't help but let a small chuckle slip out a she saw her words briefly rob the author of a response, his eyes going vacant for a brief second as he contemplated the words 'Kate Beckett' and 'easy' in the same sentence. A slow, wicked grin crept onto his face as he leaned forward and countered, his voice a velvety, bass rumble,_

" _Why Detective, I had no idea you were so… naughty." There was something about the way he said the last word, it… suggested. Nothing overt, but somehow those two little syllables conjured a barrage of impressions in her mind: the flickering of candles, sweat beading on skin in the half-light, the scent of new leather, and a throaty, wicked chuckle she hadn't heard herself use in years. Eyes locked on each other, Kate could feel the thoughts in his mind, almost able to see the images he was conjuring in his imagination. The heat of the moment, only heightened by his subdued voice, caused her stomach to tighten, a delicious tingle spreading through her. Unconsciously, she leaned forward, her elbows resting on her desk, fingers absently toying with a curl of her hair as she studied his face. Trying to conceal the fact that she was having a hard time controlling her breathing, she reached forward. Their faces only inches apart, she placed one finger under his chin, tilting his head back slightly, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered to him, repeating the words she had said all those years ago._

" _You have no idea…" Leaving him dumbstruck once more, she picked up her bag and walked out, putting a little extra swing in her hips, just for good measure._

Trying (and failing) to convince herself that the flush in her cheeks was from the heat of the shower and not from recalling the innuendo-laden banter with her partner, Kate mentally crossed Castle off her list of things that might be the cause of her irritation. In fact, she realised, he might have been providing the only points of relief from her steadily worsening moods. Sighing, she turned the water off and stepped out of the tub, reaching for her towel.

Making her way into the bedroom, she pulled open her drawers, rummaging for something to wear, absently noting the bed was empty. A small frown creasing her face, she picked up her cell phone from the bedside table, and saw she had one new message. Opening it, she saw that it was from Josh, the time-stamp reading 4:30am.

 ***Babe, got called in to cover an early shift. Pulling a double, so not sure when I'll get out.*** Sighing in frustration, Kate threw the phone onto the bed, wondering how many times she needed to tell her boyfriend she hated being called 'babe'. It made her feel like some tacky bimbo, the sort who giggled over quarter-backs. Deciding that there was no real need to respond to the message, she continued getting ready.

Toweling her hair dry as she walked into her kitchen, Kate saw that Josh had left a cup on the bench for her. Glancing into it, she noted he had fixed her the ingredients for coffee, minus the hot water. She smiled, grateful for his consideration. Flicking the button on her kettle, she made her way back to the bedroom to get dressed.

Hearing the click of the kettle finishing, she walked back into the kitchen, tucking her necklace into her shirt. Looking at the clock, she winced slightly, knowing that she'd need to rush if she wanted to get to the precinct on time. She quickly poured the boiling water into the waiting cup and added a splash of cold. She took a quick sip and immediately spat it into the sink. Frowning, she looked at the offending cup of liquid, her glare almost sufficient to bring it back to the boil.

She assumed that Josh had made the drink the same way he would for himself. Full-cream milk (which she had in the fridge only for use with hot chocolate), and three sugars. She wrinkled her nose at the thought, the after-taste still curling her lips. He must have used the last couple of spoonfuls of instant coffee powder from the tin at the back of the cupboard. She'd been meaning to throw it out for months now, that stuff wasn't even fit for guests she wasn't fond of, although she could imagine that Josh would probably have barely noticed it, the cafeteria coffee at the hospital ranking a shade below even the monkey-pee-in-battery-acid the precinct used to have, before Castle brought the coffee machine in. Pouring it down the drain, she rinsed the cup briefly, before grabbing her bag from the bench and heading out. Coffee would have to wait until later. She sighed, a headache already beginning to form. She just knew today wasn't going to be a good one.

* * *

Fuming, Beckett flung herself into her chair, her fingers angrily stabbing at the keyboard as she logged in to her computer. Her morning had gone from bad to worse on the drive in: traffic had been a nightmare, her headache had been upgraded to a splitting migraine, and to cap things off she'd been slammed into the wall of the elevator by a meth addict under arrest on her way to the Homicide floor.

Now tired, pissed off _and_ sore, Beckett was not really fit for human company, let alone a busy precinct. Both Ryan and Esposito got nothing than a grunt in response to their morning greetings. Wisely deciding that discretion was the better part of valour, the other detectives felt that perhaps this morning would be a good time to catch up on their own paperwork, quietly, and to leave their boss alone until the thunderclouds had departed somewhat.

The minutes seemingly dragging past at a glacial pace, Beckett glanced at the clock briefly, her stomach suggesting that perhaps it might be time for something to eat, and washed down with a hot, caffeinated beverage. Before her irritation could manifest itself further, a paper bag and coffee-cup were placed on her desk. Startled from her funk, Beckett looked over to see Castle flopping down into his chair, his own coffee empty already, the cup making a gentle arc as he tossed it expertly across the desk to land neatly in the garbage bin near her desk.

His enthusiastic antics finally tipping the scales of her mood beyond tolerable, she snapped at him.

"Castle!" His eyes snapped up to her, innocence on his face. "Do you _have_ to?" She saw shock, confusion and hurt flash across his features in a fraction of a second, before they were ruthlessly squashed by his poker face. Carefully neutral, he took a quick inventory of her, noting the tension in her posture, the fire dancing in her eyes, the slight narrowing of her eyelids, all of which spoke of a temper only barely reigned in.

He stood up and left her desk, heading for the break room without a word. Beckett turned back to her monitor, her left hand picking up the coffee cup on auto-pilot. The moment the coffee slid down her throat, and the happy sigh eased it's way past her lips, she froze, appalled at herself. Replaying the last few seconds in her mind, she realised that her partner had just brought her breakfast and coffee the same way he did every day, and she had just ripped into him for it, without even thanking him for perhaps the only thing that had gone right for her the whole damn morning: her coffee. The hot sting of guilt flashed through her, and she was halfway through getting out of her chair, when Castle returned. Extending his hands, she saw that he had a cup of water for her in one, and some ibuprofen in the other. Her stomach twisted as she realised that despite her treatment of him this morning, he had noticed the fact that she had a headache, and fetched supplies to fix it, even as she had been chewing him out. Her cheeks flushed, Kate quickly downed the tablets, followed by the water. Still standing, she walked around her desk towards an empty interview room. Passing Castle, she looked back over her shoulder at her partner, saying quietly,

"Castle? A word please?" A little startled at the hesitant tone in her voice, Castle followed her, his alarm increasing slightly as she allowed him to enter the room, then closed the door behind him. Turning back to face him, Beckett drew in a quick breath, bracing herself as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Castle," She spoke quickly, her voice quiet as she looked up at him, hands thrust into her jacket pockets. "You didn't deserve that, especially not first thing in the morning. I snapped at you for no reason, and I'm sorry." Taken aback, Castle smiled at his partner, the sting of her earlier words eased by her apology.

"It's okay, Beckett-" He managed to say, before she cut him off.

"No, Rick, it's not. I've been getting more and more bitchy lately, and I've been taking it out on you guys. You don't deserve it, and neither do they. I need to figure out what's wrong before I go crazy here." She sighed, running one hand through her hair as she forced herself to relax a bit. "Today has just gone from bad to worse, Castle. So far the only thing that hasn't pissed me off is our coffee, and I still managed to screw that up." Castle could see the tension starting to build in her again. His face softened as he looked at her, wordlessly acknowledging her apology.

"Maybe when the case is done, take a couple of personal days? Get out of town and clear your head for a bit?" He suggested, knowing well the value of a couple of days away from everything. Beckett thought for a second about the idea, the more she pondered it, the more attractive it sounded. A few days out of the city, she could even visit her dad for a decent catch-up. Feeling much closer to being a rational human being once more, she replied.

"Thanks, Castle, I might just do that. I think I could do with a break." Unlocking the door, they exited the observation room, ready to tackle the case again.


	2. Chapter 2

Their latest case was giving the whole team headaches. Evan Marks had been brutally beaten to death three days earlier, and they had yet to find a single solid lead. Far from having no suspects, they had too many. Way too many. In fact, it seemed as though they had people lining up around the block express just how happy they were that Marks was dead, and several had offered to buy the murderer a few beers, if and when Beckett's team caught up them.

Placing the paperwork in her hands on the desk next to her, Beckett pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep, calming breath, shutting out the background noise of the bull-pen as she tried to relax and centre herself, just for a moment. Her attempts were cut off by the ringing of her cell phone. Her eyes rolling at the interruption, she fished the phone out of her pocket and answered it without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Beckett." Her tone abrupt and businesslike, she forced herself to answer the phone as politely as she could manage.

"Hey, Kate..." Came the distinctive voice of her boyfriend. "Have you got a minute?" She could hear the sounds of a busy hospital ward in the background. Assuming that he was still at work and had slipped out in one of his very rare spare moments, Kate stood up and walked away from her desk and walked down the hall slightly, out of the main area of the bull-pen, shaking her head at Castle to let him know that it wasn't a case-related call.

"Hey, Josh... What's up?" She asked, glancing at her watch. Noting that it was barely ten o'clock, she decided that it was probably still too early to go for her second coffee of the day.

"There's a cardio-thoracic surgery conference in LA starting Monday. I've been invited to speak. I thought I should let you know I'll be out of town for the week." He sounded excited at the prospect, and Beckett could hear the enthusiasm in his voice. As she was about to reply, she caught sight of Ryan heading towards her rapidly, waving piece of paper. She spoke quickly to her boyfriend.

"Can you give me a sec, Josh? Thanks." Covering the phone, she spoke quietly to the other detective. "What have you got, Ryan?"

"We wanted to bring Jodie Marks in for another couple of questions, and her phone kept ringing out. We tried her at work, and they said she never showed for her shift this morning. When the uniforms got to her apartment, they found the place trashed, and traces of blood." Frowning, she nodded as Ryan spoke. She replied tersely.

"Give me a minute, Ryan, I'll be with you shortly. Get Esposito and Castle ready to roll, we need to move on this before the trail gets too cold." She brought the phone back up to her ear and addressed Josh again. "That sounds great Josh. I can't talk, though, something's come up. Talk to you later, bye." She pressed the 'end call' button and made her way quickly back to her desk and grabbed her jacket, glancing over at Castle as he did likewise.

"You good?" She asked as she headed for the elevator, glad to be on the move once more.

"Wouldn't miss it, Detective." He replied with a grin. Her lips twitched in the beginnings of a grin, still amused at how eager her partner could still be about such things.

Beckett buckled her belt and started the engine of her Cruiser, pulling out of the garage rapidly. Waiting until she was out of the precinct, Castle looked over to her and spoke.

"Hey Beckett," He said, the faintest trace of hesitation in his voice.

"What is it, Castle?" She asked, reminding herself to keep her tone under control. She heard the slight edge to his voice, and wondered if it was because she'd snapped at him again once already this morning, or if there was something else on his mind. Knowing that he was never usually hesitant about much, she looked at him briefly, mentally assessing him, wondering what was on his mind.

"I'm not going to be able to make it in next week..." He replied, noting the hurt look that flashed through her eyes briefly at his words, her hands gripping the wheel tight enough to make her knuckles turn white. He saw her draw in a long breath, and before she had a chance to respond, he went on. "I got a call the other day from the studio, and they really need my help in LA for a couple of days. I've been trying to find a way around it, but I can't put them off any longer." Beckett let out the breath that she'd been holding, relief flooding through her as he explained the reason behind his trip away. For one sickening moment, she'd flashed back to last summer, when she'd finally gathered the courage to tell him how she felt, and watched him walk out of her life for three whole months. Dragging her thoughts back from the past, she absorbed the words he uttered.

 _He's not leaving for long,_ She thought, reassuring herself. _It's only a week..._ Aware of the silence that threatened to drag out between them, she hastily replied.

"Looking forward to driving the Ferrari again?" Her voice as casual as she could make it, she hoped that she had covered her immediate reaction sufficiently.

"Of course..." He replied, grinning at her. "You want me to bring back souvenirs? A new swimsuit maybe?" Their teasing banter firmly in place, Kate felt the corners of her mouth twitch into the beginnings of a smile for the first time in what felt like ages as she recalled the expression on her partner's face as she had climbed out of the swimming pool on their last trip to LA. An offhand comment, a bit of light flirting, and just like that the tension between then vanished once more.

* * *

The next week, Beckett cursed as the days passed too slowly for her liking, the case dragging on far longer than it should. Delays in getting results from ballistics, delays on warrants, pretty much everything felt like it took too long. The effort of trying to keep her temper under wraps was starting to show, to those that knew her.

Beckett leaned against the desk, glaring at the crowded murder board. So far, they had close to a dozen main suspects, none of whom had a solid alibi, and all of them had a solid motive for killing Marks. A rap sheet longer than anything she had seen before clutched in her hand, Kate sighed in frustration as she ran her eyes down the list again, picking out the highlights: Breaking and entering, assault and battery, possession of narcotics, fraud, racketeering, and too many drunk and disorderly charges to count. Shaking her head at just how Evan Marks had managed to stay out of jail as long as he had, she glanced at the other information they had on their victim. According to what they had so far on him, Marks had had his fingers in so many different pies he must have had a hard time keeping it all straight. He'd been cheating on his wife, with his best friends' mistress as well as the wife. Until a few days before, none of the women had known about the others, and then all hell broke loose. Marks had been taking a little extra from his drug deliveries, selling short weight down the line, and both his supplier and his clients had gotten wind of it, and to cap it all off, he was in debt to no less than three loan-sharks.

From what she could tell, it seemed that nearly everybody their victim had any major contact with, he'd been screwing over, or just screwing, and all his chickens had come home to roost at the same time. If it wasn't actually physically impossible to beat yourself to death, Beckett would have given serious weight to Castle's flippant suggestion at the start of the case that Marks had done it to himself just to escape the beating that he'd have received if any of the people who wanted him dead had managed to get their hands on him.

Beckett glanced away from the murder board again, checking her phone in irritation. Three text messages she had sent Josh so far, over the course of the day. Her first semi-free night in what seemed like ages, and she felt like spending some quality time with her boyfriend. She looked at the clock, noting that it was approaching eight o'clock. Her stomach was definitely starting to give her some not-so-subtle hints that dinner would be nice sometime soon.

Sighing in frustration, she decided to cut to the chase. Picking up the phone, she hit the appropriate speed dial. A frown creased her face as the call went straight to message bank.

"Hey Josh," She said, trying hard to keep her voice calm and even. "It's me. I was hoping you'd pick up. I'm knocking off in about an hour, unless we catch a break in the case, and I was wondering if you wanted to grab some Italian and have an actual night out. Call me when you get this." Frustration and disappointment evident in her voice despite her best efforts, she pressed the 'end call' button more firmly than needed.

Taking a calming breath, she focused on the board in front of her once more, allowing the case to distract her from her personal life. The lack of forward movement in the current case seemed to mirror that of her relationship, although the former could be directly attributed to not a lot of evidence, and too many contradictory alibis, instead of busy schedules. They did, however, both seem to be suffering from a lack of communication.

* * *

An hour ticked slowly by, silence thick in the air of the bull-pen. The abrupt ringing of her phone startling her from her focus on the case, Beckett picked up the offending object, noting the called ID of her boyfriend. Her earlier frustration returning in full-force, she took note of the time before answering.

"You took your time, Josh, I was just about to call and order dinner and get it delivered to the precinct." There was a second's silence on the other end of the line, before he replied.

"Kate, it's only six o'clock here..." He sighed. "You forgot about the conference, didn't you?" Kate's mind whirled, before throwing up a card. Stung by her recollection of Josh telling her that he'd be away all week, she apologized, mortified.

"I'm sorry, Josh, it completely slipped my mind."

"It's okay, I thought you might have forgotten, given your messages. I called as soon as we finished for the day. I'll be back Saturday though, if you still wanted to have dinner?" Beckett paused, the flush of guilt at not only totally forgetting his trip away, but of snapping at him as well, when it was her fault in the first place.

"It depends on the case. What time do you get back?"

"Flight boards here at eight in the morning here, I'll call you before I board, hopefully you'll have a better idea if you'll be free by then. Bye." The relief was plain in his voice, glad to have smoothed things over somewhat. Beckett pulled the phone from her ear and looked at it, more than a little bit upset still, especially given they'd only partially made up, and he cut the call off so abruptly.

 _He is going to be away for a whole week, for once actually in the same the country as I am, and he'll call me when he boards the plane home?_ She thought, angrily. _It's not like phones don't work in LA. I can understand him not calling when he's off in Kenya, but Los Angeles is hardly a third world country with no phone reception!_ _Of all the-_ Her increasingly irritated thoughts were cut off by the chime of an incoming email. Opening her inbox, she was only a little surprised to see it was a notification from one of the Richard Castle websites she subscribed to. Grinning to herself at how she'd managed to keep exactly how much of a fan she was from the man himself, she clicked the link in the message.

The page loaded, showing one of her most reliable sources for behind-the-scenes snippets from the upcoming Nikki Heat movie. Ever since their trip to LA, Beckett had taken an even keener interest in it. The actors playing Raley and Ochoa had been... interesting to work with, certainly different to Natalie Rhodes, for one thing. Their mannerisms were so closely matched to Ryan and Esposito's that every now and then, it caught he by surprise when they slipped out of character. The page finished loading, and she saw several pictures, with a brief summary of each underneath.

Before she had a chance to actually look at the pictures, her phone rang again. Almost hoping it was Josh calling her back, she saw it wasn't in fact her boyfriend at all. Feeling some of her irritation fade at the coincidence, she answered.

"Hey, Castle..." She said. "How's the movie coming along?"

"Thank God, Beckett! I need your help..." The stress in his voice obvious, Beckett forgot all about the website in front of her.

"Castle, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Starting to panic a little, she forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. She heard him sigh in relief, the frazzled edge to his voice fading as he spoke.

"She just won't leave me alone, Beckett, and taking 'no' for an answer doesn't seem to be an option." An idea formed in her mind as she felt a brief stab of heat flash through her at her partner's words, a bad taste forming at the back of her throat. Trying to distract herself, even if only for a second while she gathered her thoughts, Beckett looked at the website on her screen.

What she saw there was no help at all, as it showed in grainy images what Castle had alluded to. The pictures were only a couple of on-set shots, showing one Natalie Rhodes with her arm looped casually through that of Castle as she leaned in close to him, obviously whispering something in his ear. Unable to contain the brief roll of nausea that hit her, Beckett bit back the snide remark that threatened to slip out. He had called her for help, it mustn't have been what it looked like, she thought desperately. Her trained detective eyes looking over the images in front of her.

Almost immediately, the odd details leaped out at her. Castle was smiling, but it wasn't the one she usually saw on him. She knew this was one of his forced smiles, even in the low-quality phone-picture, she could tell it didn't reach his eyes. Both he and Natalie held coffee cups, but a quick inspection confirmed what she had hoped: different logos. He hadn't bought it for her. The tension in his posture clearly visible to her, she saw that his hand gripped the coffee cup tightly, almost to the point of crushing it. Clearly, the actress had decided to try a little more 'character research' on the author again, and again, he'd turned her down.

"Beckett...?" His voice snapping her out her examination of the pictures, she replied.

"She looks... determined, Castle." There was brief pause from the other end of the line.

"How can you..."

"Bloggers, Castle. The pictures have hit the web already." Unable to keep the teasing note out of her voice, Kate grinned in the empty bull-pen. From the other end of the line, she heard a change in the background noise. "Please tell me you aren't hiding in the toilets..." She quipped.

"It's the only damn place I can be fairly sure she won't follow me. Even here probably won't deter her for long. Do you have any bright ideas about how the hell to get me out of this?" Castle asked, sounding harried. Chuckling, Beckett thought aloud.

"Last time, she actually asked me if you were gay..."

"What?" The startled exclamation caused her to pull her phone from away from her ear for a second.

"Yup. The morning after she kissed you in the elevator... Apparently, no man has ever turned her down before, so the thought that must have been the reason." Her face flushed as she recalled the frank conversation the two had shared in the break room as she went on. "I told her you weren't, and she assumed that it was because we were together." He laughed, his voice lighter.

"A lot of people make that mistake, it seems..." He said.

"She actually asked me to give you 'permission' to sleep with her, you know..." He was silent for a second, before replying.

"Oh, dear lord, Beckett, what can I do?" She heard the edge of desperation creeping back into his voice. As much as the thought of the famous womaniser Richard Castle hiding the toilets to escape the amorous attentions of a beautiful woman amused her, Kate couldn't help but try to find a way to help him.

"What about telling her you are already taken? It seemed to slow her down last time..." She heard him sigh again.

"Won't work. She knows we aren't together."

"True, but what about the old 'pretend girlfriend' routine?" She smiled to herself, imagining her partner resorting to a high-school ruse.

"Beckett, you're a genius."

"Tell me something I don't know, Castle..." She retorted teasingly. She eased back against her chair, glad that their banter was unaffected by the physical distance between them.

"Although..." His voice trailed off.

"What?"

"Would you mind staying on the line while I talk to my fictitious other half? I tried it once before, years ago, and the phone rang right in the middle of it, blew the whole thing."

"Oh, I can see that happening!" She replied, making a mental note to drag the rest of the details out of him later. "I suppose I can spare you the indignity of that happening twice in one lifetime." He sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Beckett. I owe you one." The sound of footsteps echoing from his end of the line could be heard as he headed for the door. He paused.

"Just ignore anything I say from now on..."

"Okay, Castle, whatever you say..." A full-on smile plastered on her face, Beckett couldn't wait to hear how the scene played out. She knew he as good at spinning a story, and she was extremely curious to see what he came up with on such short notice. She heard the sounds of him walking down a hallway, before he spoke, obviously for Natalie's benefit.

"I know, love. It's only until Friday." His voice low and soft, it was nothing like his usual, chipper tone. Rich as molten dark chocolate, the warmth of his voice carried clearly through the phone. Kate's heart skipped a beat, the shift catching her off-guard. Pretending to listen to a reply, Castle paused for several seconds, before continuing.

"I know, I miss you too... If they didn't need me out here, I wouldn't have come. Tell you what... How about I fly you to LA first thing tomorrow, and you can stay with me here? When I'm done with the movie, we'll take off somewhere, just the two of us for a few weeks? Hawaii? The Bahamas? Costa del Sol? Somewhere with sun and sand, and you can break out that bikini?" He paused again, unaware that on the other end of the phone, his words had pulled Kate from the quiet of the bull-pen her eyes fluttering closed as she allowed herself to imagine the scene his words painted in her mind, the details being filled in as he continued.

"The green one you bought the other day, the one you said you were saving for the summer? I can see us on the beach in the sun as I rub lotion across your shoulders, rubbing it in slowly, letting my hands drift slowly lower..." Her breath catching slightly, Beckett relaxed further into her chair, almost able to feel the knots in her shoulders ease as, caught up in the scene, she could practically feel the ghosts of his fingers following his words, the fingers of her free hand tracing across her abdomen, unbidden.

"I know, love. It will happen, soon." His voice dropped even lower, barely above a whisper. "Oh! You know it's not fair to tease me like that when I'm with company... but since you started it, what are you wearing right now?" A warm tingle spreading through her, Kate felt a twist of desire clench low in her, her body responding to his almost-whispers, her breath coming fast and light. Her fingers just brushing the bottom edge of her shirt, the tips of them skimming her skin, the contact pulled a small gasp from her.

Kate was so wrapped up in the scene playing out in her head that she didn't notice the change in the background noise, Castle having walked the length of the hall, and made eye-contact with Natalie. The conversation had lasted until the doors leading to the back-lot, and with every word, Natalie's hopes fell. The expression on his face matching his words, she could only assume that he was in the middle of a _very_ intimate conversation with a woman, one he obviously cared about. Plastering a smile on her face, she waved casually to him as she headed in the opposite direction, his answering wave coming absently as he opened the door and left the building.

"Thanks, Beckett." He said, his tone back to normal. When no reply was forthcoming for several seconds, he pulled the phone from his ear and looked at it, confirming the call was still active. He spoke again, a little worried.

"Kate?" His words finally registering with her, Beckett, still wrapped up in the fantasy playing out in her head, answered the last thing she remembered him asking.

"Denim jeans, and that emerald green vee-neck I know you like so much..." Her voice husky, the words slipped from her lips without thought. There was an instant's stunned silence as they both realised what had just happened.

Castle hastily summoned the scattered remains of his thoughts, dragging them from the vivid image he now had firmly in the front of his mind of Beckett in the outfit she had described. She was right, he mused, he loved that top of hers, the colour matching her eyes perfectly, and the way it clung to her curves just a hint of cleavage showing, it nearly drove him crazy every time she wore it. Swallowing, he broke the silence.

"So... um... Any luck with the case since I left?" Hoping the total change of topic would be enough to cover any embarrassment, he forced his voice to be as casual as he could. Blushing furiously, Beckett's eyes darted frantically around the bull-pen, hoping that nobody had seen her. Finding the precinct blessedly empty, she ran her free hand through her hair, before tugging the edge of her shirt back down. She let her gaze fall onto the murder board, seeking relief in shop-talk, still surprised at not only what had just happened, but at how he seemed to know just what to say to move them away from the issue and onto safer ground. She took a somewhat shaky breath, before replying.

"Actually, yeah... Well, no. I'm still at the precinct, trying to pin down who's lying to us..."

"Oh, can I help?" He asked, a split second before his own words overtook his brain. "Um, Beckett, isn't it nearly ten o'clock there?" Kate sighed as her stomach reminded her just how long it had been since she had last eaten.

"Yes, Castle, it is. My dinner plans got cancelled and it seemed a waste of time heading home to eat alone, so I figured I'd stay back and work the case for a while longer." Unable to keep all the bitterness out of her voice, she tried to not let her partner hear her frustration.

"Josh on call again?" Castle asked innocently, his voice still a fraction too casual to be called relaxed.

"No, actually..." Kate replied. "You are more likely to see him tonight than me."

"Huh?" His one-syllable expression of confusion so unlike his usual self, Beckett explained, almost relieved to be able to vent her feelings on the matter.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. He's at a conference in LA all week. He told me last week, the day after we got the case, but Ryan interrupted, and told me about Jodie Marks going missing, and I forgot all about the trip. I had hoped to go out to dinner tonight for the first time in ages, only to find out he was on the other side of the country. He said he'd call Saturday, when he's about to board the plane home and try to arrange something..." Castle bit back the words trying to force their way past his gritted teeth, instead saying simply,

"Oh, Kate..." The sympathy in his tone stung her. She knew he only meant to offer her comfort, but she couldn't help but hear his unspoken criticism of her boyfriend's behaviour. What made it even worse was that she couldn't summon the words to defend Josh, because she was less than impressed with him herself. She drew a calming breath, forcing her mind back to the case once more, happy to lose herself in her work to avoid the topic.

"I'm a big girl, Castle, I'll live. Anyway, the case is pretty much deadlocked at the moment... We really need something to work with. There are just so damn many alibi's to work through, and I am sure at least half of them are lying about something." Castle thought for a second, before saying

"Do you want to take a photo of the board with your phone, and email it to me? I'm heading back to the suite now. If you want, I'll call you back when I get there, and bounce some ideas around? You could even grab a bite to eat, since I can practically hear your stomach from here." Beckett smiled at the thought.

"Sounds like a plan. As long as you don't mind, given the day you've had?"

"Mind? After my day, Beckett, a nice murder is just what I need. Go grab food, I'll call you back in twenty." Feeling more relaxed than she had all day, Beckett was in the elevator, pushing the ground floor button before her partner hung up.


	3. Chapter 3

Yawning, Beckett flopped into her chair and logged into her computer. Glancing across the room at the murder board, she couldn't help but smile noting the possible leads that her and Castle had managed to come up with the night before. Not quite the same as actually having him next to her, the impromptu phone call had still been close enough to their usual case-building that Ryan and Esposito were already hard at work following up on the possible lines of inquiry by the time she arrived just after eight o'clock.

Barely fifteen minutes after she walked into the precinct, the elevator doors opened to reveal a young man in a courier service uniform.

"Delivery for Detective Beckett?" He called out. Numerous officers directed him towards her desk as she stood up with a puzzled expression. Taking the package, she noted the sender was one Castle, R. Quickly signing for the package in the appropriate place; she sat down and reached for the top flap, thoroughly confused as to what her partner would be sending her.

Opening it hesitantly, she lifted the flap and peered inside, a goofy grin forming despite her best efforts to hide it. Their curiosity piqued, the other duo of detectives peered over at their boss, who looked entirely too cheerful for somebody who had apparently working back for several hours on the case after they had left, and who still had yet to have her first coffee of the day.

Chuckling to herself even as she shook her head, Beckett withdrew the contents of the delivery: one hot cup of coffee in a travel mug, and a bear-claw. Placing the latter on the desk, she took a long sip of the coffee, a happy sigh passing her lips as her regular morning caffeine worked it's magic.

Her phone beeped as she received a text. Pulling it out, she opened the message.

***Just because I am in LA isn't a good enough reason for the boys to have to put up with a caffeine-deprived Beckett. Hope today is better than yesterday, and some of the ideas pan out. Coffee hot when you got it?***

Beckett took a bite of the bear-claw as she quickly tapped out a reply, touched by his thoughtful gesture.

 ***Piping hot, and much-needed. Thanks, Castle.*** Barely thirty seconds later, her phone let her know she had a reply.

 ***For you, any time, KB. Now I know you have coffee, I can go back to sleep until a suitably decadent hour. Keep me in the loop with the case?*** Realising that it was barely five in the morning for him on the west coast, Kate was more than a little bit surprised that he'd made the effort to arrange for her morning coffee and breakfast to be delivered on-time and was still awake enough to want to be kept up to date on the case. After the embarrassing incident last night, she had to forcibly drag her mind away from thoughts of him laying in the king-sized bed in his suite, texting her, wearing... With an abrupt shake of her head, Kate tried to clear her mind of a succession of mental images of her partner in various stages of undress from her head. A faint blush staining her cheeks, she replied, a teasing smirk threatening to slip out.

 ***Always. I'll leave you to your beauty sleep. Good luck with Natalie.*** Beckett slipped her phone away and took another sip of her coffee, looking up as the remainder of her team sauntered over to her desk with an air of forced casualness.

"Morning boss..." Esposito greeted her, noting the coffee. "Since when do you get your coffee delivered?" Taking another long swallow of the drink, Beckett glanced between him and Ryan, standing next to him. She gave a small half-smile as she said

"Since Castle decided that you boys probably didn't deserve to put up with me without my morning fix..." Seeing her looking so much more relaxed than the day before, Ryan shot a questioning look at his partner. Receiving nothing but a blank look in return, he asked,

"So... why now? He's been away all week, and this is the first time he's done it."

"He called last night, and we ended up discussing the case. He knew how late I was here last night, and probably figured I'd need the pick-me-up." Turning back to her computer briefly, she used the distraction of checking her email to avoid eye-contact with them, trying to keep the blush from her cheeks as she carefully neglected to mention the first half of the phone call.

"Well, that explains the leads on the board this morning... Two heads are better than one, and all that." Esposito replied, noting just how much more relaxed she seemed this morning. After the last couple of weeks, getting a civil word out of her before lunch-time was definitely a gift horse not to be looked in the mouth. Tossing a surprised look at his partner, he shrugged and went on. "Speaking of that, we're going to go pick up the dealer and bring him back in for some more questions." He headed towards the elevator, Ryan in tow.

* * *

Beckett flicked the bedroom light switch off, the darkness held at bay by the moonlight streaming through the curtains. Easing herself into bed, she glanced at the clock, still surprised at how tired she was.

"Way too early to be in bed…" She muttered to herself, noting that it was barely eleven o'clock. Still, she was physically tired enough that resting would be a good idea anyway. A small smile flitted across her face as she abruptly came to a decision. Resting didn't have to mean sleep, at least not right away…

Turning on the lamp, she picked up a book from her bedside table. Her copy of Heat Wave had been read so many times the spine had started to crack a little, but she didn't mind. The book held a special place in her heart, not least for the dedication. Kate lay back, the book still unopened, resting on her chest as she let her mind wander, fingers absently tracing the photo of the author that graced the back cover.

Her smile broadened as she thought fondly about her partner. Her favourite author would be very happy to know some of the leads they had worked out had in fact lead to a break in the case. The suspect pool had been slashed to two, and the only thing the team was waiting on now were the results from forensics. Realising that in their determined focus on catching the suspect, she had forgotten to talk to him today; she reached for her phone, knowing that he would like to hear how it panned out.

Hitting speed dial #2, the phone rang for only a few seconds before being answered.

"Good evening. Richard Castle's answering service…" His rich baritone letting her know immediately that he was in a good mood, Beckett absently bit her lip as he continued. "For ruggedly handsome authors, please press one. For assistant volunteer homicide detective and partner, please press two…" Hearing the grin in his voice, Beckett replied, her voice light and teasing.

"Number two please. Business before pleasure, you know…" His answering chuckle was just what she needed, smiling softly as she rolled over and snuggled down under the covers.

"How did you go with the case today?" He asked, curiosity aflame. "Are you still at the precinct?" Kate smirked, knowing that he would hear it in her voice as she replied.

"Actually, we cracked it wide open… Just waiting on forensics to get back to us, probably sometime tomorrow. I'm at home already…" Surprise sounding clearly in his voice, he quipped back, teasing gently.

"Oh really, detective? Not hitting a bar with Lanie tonight?" Deciding to play along, she answered honestly.

"No, Castle… I'm at home, in bed…" She paused, knowing what would be running through his mind. She wasn't disappointed, when he replied.

"So I finally get you in bed, and I'm one the other side of the country..."

"I was reading, if you must know, mister!" She laughed as she heard him swallow on the other end of the phone. Finally, he spoke again, his voice steady, casual.

"Oh? Anything I might have heard of?" Kate grinned, enjoying being able to make her partner rise to the bait. She bit her lip as she slipped the phone between her cheek and the pillow, one hand coming up to play with a loose strand of hair.

"Oh, I don't know, Ricky... why don't you guess?" She paused for a second and decided she might as well get some payback for what he made her do the night before. Her voice low, she almost whispered to him. "Isn't it more fun to unwrap the layers yourself?"

Castle lay back on the king sized bed in his ridiculously expensive suite, his mind torn between running a mile a minute, his imagination running wild, and being stunned into immobility. His heart racing, he closed his eyes and tried very, very hard to keep his mind out of the gutter, or at least her bedroom. Ignoring the aching in his groin for the moment, he turned his focus to her whispered challenge. He ran everything he knew about her through his mind, every little habit, the tiniest details that he had noticed in their time together. After several seconds thought, the ideas crystallised. The more he analysed it, the more solid his resolution. Smirking, he decided that two could play at that game. Time to fight fire with fire... He replied, deliberately using the same low, silken tone that he had used when talking to his pretend girlfriend.

"Well, Kate, I think I know exactly which author you have in bed tonight..." He paused as he heard her breath catch, so softly that he almost missed it. "Let me see... It's just after eleven, and you have a case. You wouldn't be home unless you were close to solving it, and waiting for something to come in, which means you aren't mentally drained. You're in bed already though, which tells me you are physically tired. I'm betting you headed home around six, and ordered take-out. You'd have had a shower, not a bath, because you can really only relax properly with a bath and glass of wine, and only when the case is solved. No bath means you'd have only started the book when you got into bed." He paused, wetting his lips, his mind still on the images of Beckett in the bath, wearing nothing but a dreamy smile and some bubbles, relaxing into the steaming water as she turned the pages of her book.

He went on, a confident smile firmly in place. "Your voice tells me you are fairly sure you know which of the suspects it is, so you're comfortable, which means you will have picked a book you have read a few times before. You've had a couple of late nights, which tells me you'd have only started it tonight. Am I getting warmer...?" There was an intense silence from the other end of the line for a moment as Kate tried to pull herself together.

She was stunned by the things he was saying, by how well he knew her. If she was honest, she wouldn't have been able to put words to the decisions she'd made since she got home, but he knew. He knew not just what she'd done, but _why_. Dragging her thoughts back into order, she responded, her voice huskier than she intended. "Very warm, but you still haven't answered the question..."

The fact that he could call all that detail to mind, that he could figure her out so well from a brief conversation on the phone dragged her mind to what other things he would show a similar attention to detail to. She bit her lip again, imagining the trails of heat his fingers would leave on her skin as he explored her with that painstaking, gentle touch she craved. The way he would draw every small gasp from her, the moans that she wouldn't be able to hold back as he experimented with texture, using his lips, teeth, tongue, fingernails...

Rolling onto her back, she bent her legs, the movement pulling the quilt down to her stomach. Her fingers trailing down her neck, they brushed her collar bone as she felt a flush of desire course through her. She ran her eyes down her tank top, noting her body was well ahead of her mind. Her nipples already hard and showing clearly through the thin material, she let her fingertips stroke the hollow of her throat gently as she waited for his reply.

"If you're good, detective, I'll even tell you which one of my books I think you were holding…" His words sliding over her like a gentle caress, Kate marveled at the way he seemed to piece the details together, goose bumps forming on her skin as her hand drifted down her body fingers brushing her chest so lightly she almost couldn't feel it. Feather light, the tips of her fingers brushing her hardened peaks through the material, she felt her eyes flutter, her voice quiet as she fought her rising tide of heat within her. "Just how good do I need to be, Rick?"

"Just answer one question… Are you wearing your grey sweat pants, or the blue shorts?" Kate could hear the desire threaded through his voice, and it stoked her own. For the second time in as many days, she answered the question, this time knowing what she was doing.

"The sweat pants… why?" She replied, thinking to herself _It's okay, this is just flirting, like we do every day, right? He's asked me that before. It's not like he can see me…_ Her excuses sounding weak, even to herself, she rationalised her body's responses by firmly categorising what was happening as a fantasy. It certainly wasn't the first time she'd thought about her partner like that, and after tonight, she knew for sure it wouldn't be last.

"Ah…" His response nothing more than a wordless expression, she wasn't sure if it was in satisfaction, or an involuntary sound made as he lay in his bed, imagining her. She smiled in the emptiness of her bedroom, wondering what his face would look like if he could see her now. Her back arching, she cupped one breast with her hand, her fingers gripping, teasing herself through her top. She bit her lip, hard, swallowing the moan that threatened to escape her. His words sounding in her ear, Beckett forced her hand away from her breast, not trusting herself to keep quiet if she continued.

"You'd be spending an evening with Nikki and Rook… If was a betting man, I'd say you were about to start reading Heat Wave again…" Her jaw dropped, and not from desire. Momentarily stunned out of her fantasy, she asked, hesitantly

"Castle, how did you-" He laughed, cutting her off, even as the humour eased her nerves.

"Beckett, we lived together for over a month, remember? You know I pay attention to the details. I knew how you liked your coffee two days after I met you, and I could tell what kind of mood you woke up in by your choice of shirt after the first two months. Did you honestly think I wouldn't pick up on your reading habits when we were living under the same roof?" He paused momentarily, before he explained, knowing she wouldn't rest until he did. "You wear those when you're doing well with a case, or on a Monday night. The shorts are for when you're impatient, and need something to settle you, which is why you start in the middle of a series, usually the middle of the book." Becket wasn't sure what surprised her more: that he could read her _that_ well, or the casual way which he phrased it.

 _Lived together,_ She thought. _I would have said 'you let me crash at your place for a while mine because mine was blown up'. Lived together.. huh._ She rolled the thought around in her head, testing it. _I guess you could put it that way... I lived with Richard Castle._

"Castle... that's..." She paused, unsure even in her own head how to finish the sentence. At the moment, 'kinda creepy' was losing out to 'sweet, adorable, and shows he actually pays attention. Oh, and cares too'.

"Yeah, yeah, I know... creepy. In my defence, you asked." He teased her. He thought for a second, before giving voice to a question that had been nagging at him for months now. "Beckett... can I ask you something?" She gulped, her heart rate picking up as she wondered what he was going to ask. Hesitantly, she answered.

"I suppose..." There was silence from the other end of the line for a moment, before he plucked up the courage.

"Do you..." He swallowed. "Do you regret me writing Nikki? I know it's caused you no end of embarrassment at work." Her mind whirled, wondering how the hell he had gone from asking her what she was wearing in bed, to _that_. Thoughts swirling, her mouth decided to answer on her behalf, since her brain was otherwise occupied.

"No, Castle, I don't." She paused, her brain catching up with her mouth, and filling in the details. She sighed and continued. "I was... irritated at first, but I got over it. I like what you've done with her, actually. It's still kinda weird reading about a character based on myself, but it's kind of exciting." She grinned, relaxing and for some reason letting her mouth keep on talking. "There is enough of me in her for me to relate to her, but just enough differences for her to surprise me, Castle. It's almost like looking into some weird alternate reality and seeing how I might have turned out." She paused, recalling her words from ages ago. "Probably not _quite_ as slutty though, I'd hope." He heard the teasing tone in her voice, practically able to see the smirk on her face. Rarely able to get such honest insight from someone with her unique perspective on his work, he asked,

"So how does it affect the way you read it? Does it change the way you look at the characters, knowing they draw from our experiences?" He waited, holding his breath, hoping she wouldn't deflect the question. She surprised him, answering immediately.

"It's... different, Castle. I love Storm, but he's... distant, somehow. Nikki and Rook, and to a lesser extent Raley and Ochoa, I... We've lived some of that stuff, and it makes it realer, better. If I was somebody else, I'd still enjoy them, but knowing that there is another whole layer there... It makes me smile when I find a little nugget from one of our cases in there, or something we said or did." She smiled fondly. "So yeah, it changes the way I look at the characters, the book as a whole, but in a good way." She paused, thinking to herself _Oh, what the hell, its not like he doesn't know already..._ Blushing slightly, she went on. "Having your favourite author dedicate them to you kinda helps as well..." She paused, her mind racing. Did she dare? She took a breath, and plunged ahead, hoping he would grasp the subtle hint she was dropping. "It just feels… more intimate, I guess. I've been to a couple of book readings you did, but living parts of the story just brings it all so much closer." Holding her breath, she waited to see if he picked up on her unspoken request. Immediately, he responded.

"Do you prefer a reading to reading them yourself?" He kept his voice level, trying hard not to let his sudden bout of nerves show.

"Yeah, I do… Listening to you read them is…" She bit her lip and thought for a second, trying to put her feelings into words that actually made sense. "It's like getting an original painting, instead of a good copy. When you read it aloud, I get the story the way you intended it to be, the flow, the intensity and the pace, all of it." She let her breath out fully, after she finished speaking. Relief washed through her as she finally let go of her worries. She'd wanted to talk to him about the books since before Heat Wave was published, but just couldn't find the right time, the right words. Now, she was laying in her bed, warm and safe, and talking to her favourite author about books he'd written about _her_. If somebody had told her a few years ago that she'd be here, she'd have had them committed. Now? It was gone midnight, and she was cuddled up to her phone with a goofy smile on her face, wrapped in easy flow of the words of a man who had come to mean so much more to her than simply a talented writer. His books had pulled her back from the abyss of her mother's death, but the more she grew to know him, the more he meant to her.

Unable to keep the happiness spreading through him out of his voice, Castle asked hesitantly, still unsure if he had fully grasped what she was asking. "Kate, do you…" He swallowed. "Would you like me to read to you? Tonight?" His nerves twanging, he was sure she'd hear the frantic thundering of his heart as he waited for her reply.

"Please…" Her voice shy and quiet, Castle knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was hearing just Kate at that moment, raw and unburdened. No detective, no Beckett, just… Kate. His heart swelled, knowing that she trusted him enough to ask him something he was sure only her parents had done for her. Unguarded, he could only imagine the gentle smile on her lips as her face relaxed and softened. He drew a breath, unable to contain the wave of contentment that surged through him, and spoke, his voice soothing and gentle. He spoke them from memory, not needing a book in front of him to prompt the flow of words, the story as familiar to him as his daughter's face.

"It was always the same for her when she arrived to meet the body. After she unbuckled her seat belt, after she pulled a stick pen from the rubber band on the sun visor, after her long fingers brushed her hip to feel the comfort of her service piece, what she always did was pause. Not long. Just the length of a slow deep breath." His voice caressed the words, coaxing the story to life in her mind as only its creator could. The story wound on into the night as they lay in their beds, thousands of miles apart, but never closer, until finally sleep claimed her. Lulled gently into unconsciousness, her last thoughts were of him as her eyes drifted closed, safe and content.


	4. Chapter 4

Kate woke up slowly, the edges of her dream clinging to her, trying to drag her back. Far from unpleasant, the dreams revolved around a certain author she knew and somehow failed to include much by way of clothing. A smile forming on her lips, she rolled over and glanced at her bedside clock.

 _Still_ _half_ _an_ _hour_ _before_ _I_ _need_ _to_ _get_ _up_. She thought lazily. Shifting slightly, she felt something slide off the pillow next to her. The sudden shift of weight so close to her head snapped her eyes fully open. Chuckling, she recognised the familiar shape and weight of one of her books. She smiled again, remembering exactly why she'd left her book on the pillow next to her: she didn't need it, not when the author of that very book had read her to sleep with those words the night before. Her mind still drowsy, she allowed herself to reflect on how she felt. Her bad mood of the last few weeks or more was nowhere to be seen. She'd slept the whole night through, no nightmares, and she felt well rested. No, better than that, she felt _good_.

Reaching out, she picked the book up, the pre-dawn light seeping through her bedroom window revealing the face of her partner, smiling cheerfully on the back cover of the book, his blue eyes seeming to sparkle with something secret. The hint of mischief in his face sparking her to remember more of last night, Kate felt her face heat as she recalled their whispered conversation. More than that, her body remembered what she'd been doing while she was teasing him. A flicker of warmth sending a tingle through her, Beckett actually raised an eyebrow at her own body's reactions, even going as far as raising the quilt a fraction to make sure she wasn't imagining it.

 _Nope_ , She thought, a little amazed. _Still_ _there_ _…_ Her traitorous body had obviously decided that merely dreaming about Richard Castle wasn't enough; it had to torment her when she was awake too. Frowning slightly, she ran one hand lightly down her tank top, gently stroking her nipples, which were well and truly awake. Her mind still thinking about how she'd caressed herself as he spoke to her, she decided that perhaps going back to sleep wouldn't be the best way of spending her morning.

Having to bite her lip last night simply to stop a variety of noises spilling from her mouth, Kate gave in and allowed her body the release it so obviously needed. Cupping both her breasts through the material of her tank top, she ran her thumbs across her sensitive peaks, teasing, before rolling them between her fingers, her breath already hitching.

One hand gripping tighter, she slid her other hand down her stomach, fingers teasing under the edge of her sweat pants. Her head falling back against the pillow, Beckett felt desire flare and coil deep inside her. Lightly, she brushed the tip of one finger across her herself, surprised to find herself already wet. Her mind fixed on Castle, she imagined what it would feel like to have him there with her, doing this to her. Her fingers parted her folds, teasing as she circled the bundle of nerves. She knew his hands were soft and gentle, but she'd felt the strength in them when he'd pulled her against him in the alley, when she'd responded by kissing him senseless. Now, her mind starting to go hazy with the sensations building in her core, she imagined exactly how good those fingers would feel against her heat, stroking, caressing with all the dexterity that earning a living on a keyboard would bring.

Slipping two fingers inside, she flicked her nub with her thumb once, twice and shattered. She felt her walls clench around her fingers, and as the sound of his name echoed off the walls of her bedroom, she knew. It was a fantasy, but it wasn't anywhere near as good as the reality would be. Her body coming down from her orgasm, she couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of her mind, the little voice that whispered to her: _It_ _doesn_ _'_ _t_ _have_ _to_ _be_ _a_ _fantasy._ _You_ _could_ _have_ _the_ _real_ _thing_ _if_ _you_ _let_ _yourself._

Her breath returning to normal, she pulled back the covers and made her way to the shower, hoping to clean up her thoughts somewhat as well as her body. Castle was due back from LA sometime, and she'd be hard pressed to look him in the eyes if her mind kept slipping into the gutter as much as it had while he was away.

* * *

Beckett walked into the precinct at 9am sharp, a spring in her step. Sitting down, she logged into her computer, and got straight into clearing up a bunch of outstanding emails she'd been avoiding doing for days. A faint smile on her face, she felt lighter than she had done in a long time. With still no word from forensics on the case, she didn't have anything else to worry about other than trying to catch up on paperwork. With a small sigh, she closed her email window, grabbed the top piece of paper from her in-tray and set to work.

* * *

Time slipped by, the sounds of the precinct forming an almost soothing rhythm as the clock marked the passing hours. Eleven o'clock came, and found her still dutifully filling out forms. Signing her name at the bottom, she tossed the offending article in her outbox and leaned back, stretching her arms above her head as she eased the aching muscles in her shoulders.

Absently glancing up, she noticed the elevator doors open, and saw the familiar face if the 12th's resident author heading her way, coffee and bear-claw in hand. Beaming at him, she accepted the hot drink gratefully, leaning back in her seat and humming appreciatively as she took her first sip.

"Thanks, Castle." She said, meeting his eyes. Finishing a drink of his own coffee, He returned the smile, saying

"You look like you've had a week off, Beckett… You okay?" She chuckled, shaking her head at him.

"I'm fine, Castle, just slept very well, that's all." She took another sip, dropping her eyes, hoping he didn't notice her blush. She was saved from having to look him in the eye by the entrance of Ryan and Esposito, their loud voices clearly carrying over the background sounds of the station.

"No way, man, I'm telling you she's…" Esposito shifted his attention from his partner to his boss, his words trailing off. He noticed the smile that was still on her face an instant before he realised that the chair next to her desk was occupied once more by a familiar figure. "Yo, Castle!" He greeted the author, extending his hand for a feed-the-birds. "How was LA?"

"Sunny and busy…" Castle replied, an easy grin on his face as he turned faced the duo and returned the gesture. "You boys miss me?" Ryan glanced at Beckett, who was holding her coffee in both hands, absorbing the warmth from the cup while she took another long drink. Seeing the relaxed look on her face, he quipped.

"You know what, Castle? I think we did…" He paused then continued, gesturing towards the murder board with his head. "Although I have to say, man, ganging up on us with Beckett from the other side of the country is a bit unfair."

"Gotta do something to keep you two out of mischief, don't I?" He replied easily. Running his eyes over the whiteboard, he asked "So it was the brother then?"

Beckett polished her coffee off and placed the cup down, saying "Still waiting on forensics, remember?" Castle nodded, still wondering why the forensics report would be taking so long. Esposito looked at his partner and raised an eyebrow. Receiving a shrug in response, both automatically assumed that Beckett had been on the phone to him the night before. Both Ryan and Esposito had to fight to keep their faces neutral as they both came to the same conclusion – despite the lack of any new additions to the murder board, she had been on the phone to Castle again last night. His poker face firmly in place, Esposito addressed Beckett.

"We just finished running through the last of the traffic camera footage, and couldn't find anything other than the dealer's alibi checks out. They have him at least a dozen blocks away when Marks was killed, getting rear-ended at a set of lights." He glanced at the substantial pile of paperwork in her much-fuller outbox and grimaced, saying "Well, until that report comes in, I guess we'll be doing paperwork, huh?" With a resigned shrug, he and Ryan headed back over to their desks, ready to face the piles of paper in their own trays, at least until they were rescued by the forensics report.

* * *

Beckett hung up her phone and glanced back at her partner.

"Well, there's an APB out for the brother, the best we can do is wait… again." They had received the forensics report no more than twenty minutes ago, confirming their suspicions: Evan Marks had been killed by his own brother, most probably in a fit of jealous rage. For everybody other than the late Mr Marks, this was good news. A proper suspect, not just a bunch of assumptions and guesswork any more, they had rushed to the last place Jonathan Marks had been spotted, only to find it empty. The cheap flat showed clear signs of its occupant having made a hasty departure: drawers left half-open, clothes all over the place, and the toiletries gone. Immediately, Beckett had pulled out her phone and rang through to Esposito to let him know their suspect had disappeared. She sighed, her frustration becoming evident once more.

Castle walked over to the kitchenette, a small frown on his face. Extending a hand, he touched the kettle lightly.

"Barely even an hour…" He muttered. Seeing the look on his partner's face, he elaborated. "The kettle has been boiled recently. Going by how warm it is, it was done no more than an hour ago. We just missed him!" Running her hand through her hair, Beckett cursed.

"Damnit! If we'd had that report sooner, he'd be in interrogation by now." Fuming, she turned and walked out of the room. Following her, Castle glanced at his watch as he and Beckett walked down the street. Noting the time, he looked over at his partner and paused, captivated by her for a moment. The sun shining on her hair (God, he loved it when she left it out, it made her whole face seem so much softer), the easy saunter as she walked at his side, the slight frown of concentration on her brow as she thought hard about the case... Shaking his head to bring himself back to reality, he asked,

"Hey Beckett, how long do we have before we need to be back at the precinct?" The detective looked at him curiously. Looking at her father's watch, she replied.

"It's lunch time, so about an hour, why?" He ran his eyes over her briefly, noting that she was still stressing about the case, and probably about the... incident with her boyfriend as well. She hadn't mentioned anything further about Josh since that night, so Castle had no choice but to assume he was still in LA, and hadn't called. Nodding to himself, he made a decision.

"Come with me. I have something I want to show you..." His face giving nothing away, Kate wondered what the hell he was planning.

"Castle..." She said, a warning tone in her voice. "What are you-"

"Trust me, Beckett." He grinned at her and turned down a side-street. "This will be well worth it. It won't take long, and we can grab a burger on the way back." Knowing better than to argue with her partner when got like this, Beckett just shrugged and followed him, curiosity aflame.

* * *

Minutes later, he turned them into a small, unmarked doorway. Opening the door, Beckett heard a small bell chime as she walked into the room. Directly opposite the door, she saw a young Chinese girl, carrying a pile of folded white towels. Sitting behind a counter tucked in the corner was an older man, reading a newspaper. Still unsure what was going on, Beckett watched as Castle walked over to the man. She saw the man look up and smile hugely, standing up immediately and firing off a rapid-fire couple of sentences in Chinese.

Beckett remembered belatedly that her partner was fluent. Still a little surprised, she couldn't help but smile as he had a fair idea where this was going. It had been ages since she'd had a decent massage, and as she eased her shoulders a little, she knew that once again, her partner had picked up on something she needed, but didn't even realise herself.

A grin on his face, he gestured for her to lead the way as they followed the girl through a set of doors to the rooms.

The girl glanced at the two of them, and nodded to herself, directing them behind a set of curtains. Stepping through, Beckett was saw two massage tables, with small baskets next to them to hold their clothes. In a small alcove on the back wall sat several small candles in front of a mirror, a thin incense stick filling the air with a delicate, spicy scent. She also noted almost immediately that the two tables were separated by only a couple of feet, no curtain between them. Raising a silent eyebrow at him, she fought to keep her face even, the corners of her mouth twitching as she tried to keep the teasing grin off her lips.

"Subtle you are not, Castle..." He returned her look calmly, a twinkle in his eyes as he quipped,

"You wound me, detective..." He grinned at her. "But, this happy coincidence isn't my fault. Mr Chen only had this room free, the others are all occupied." He tilted his head slightly, silently indicating she could cross-check his alibi if she wanted. His grin magnified as he realised the thought he'd just had sounded terribly cop-like. _And_ , he mused, _'cross-check_ _my_ _alibi'_ _could_ _be_ _taken_ _oh_ _so_ _many_ _ways..._

Beckett paused momentarily, listening, and realised that for once her partner hadn't gone for the cheesy option. She could quite easily hear the quiet sounds of the other rooms in use. _Still,_ she thought, _maybe_ _a_ _little_ _payback_ _is_ _in_ _order..._ Knowing just how flustered he got when she ramped up the flirting, she threw him a saucy grin, and placed her hands on the buttons of her shirt, slowly slipping the first one free. Kate saw his pupils dilate as he fought to keep his eyes on her face. Both of them felt their grins widen as they recalled the last time he had watched her do something similar: the day they both walked into the Old Haunt, before he bought it, playing at being a couple for a few minutes to get information out of the bartender.

Back then, Castle had almost bitten his knuckles to keep the sounds of his utter astonishment muffled, never for a moment thinking that she'd have gone along with his teasing suggestion that she needed to 'pop one more button, just in case'. That little hint of lacy black bra that she had flashed, the look she shot him, almost daring him to glance down? That had kept him awake for several nights.

Kate could practically see the thoughts swirling through her partner's mind, and let her smile widen a touch more. She knew exactly what she'd been doing that day as they went down the steps into the Old Haunt, although the picture of a younger, cute Rick Castle had thrown her for a moment. She let her thoughts linger on the picture for a split second, before deciding that she preferred 'ruggedly handsome' to 'cute' anyway. She wondered just how far she was really willing to push him, how far she'd go just to get a reaction from him.

 _Maybe_ _just_ _a_ _little_ _further..._ She thought, her pulse starting to speed up as she felt her fingers popping the second button, teasing their way down into her cleavage, the faintest brush of her fingertip brushing the curve of her breast. Her eyes still locked on his, she felt the air between them thicken, the electricity sparking like a live wire between them as she puller bottom lip between her teeth.

 _Damn!_ _Still_ _looking_ _at_ _my_ _face..._ She noted. Amused, impressed and starting to get aroused, Kate felt the edges of her control start to slip. Worse, she realised, she couldn't bring herself to care. She felt her cheeks start to flush, her mind starting to drift as she considered the possibility that he'd manage to keep his eyes locked on hers. Her fingers, operating on instructions from her subconscious, slipped the third button free, easing the edges further apart, offering more than a little glimpse of the lacy black and green bra she'd donned this morning. Kate knew that the shade matched her eyes exactly, and just knowing that she had something like that on under her conservative shirt satisfied something basic in her. It made her feel more confident, sexier, and just a little bit naughty. Her body recalling this mornings... distractions, she wondered how far Castle's jaw would drop if he knew that the panties she was wearing were the other half of the set.

Her shirt open almost halfway down her chest, she almost missed the moment when Rick's self-control gave out. He drew a deep breath as his eyes finally broke from hers, tracing her lips, red from her recent bite, slightly parted, the tip of her tongue darting out to moisten them. They continued their unstoppable path down her body, and she felt his gaze crossing her skin as vividly as if he were tracing the line with his fingertips. Pausing for a moment on the way the bra cupped the delicious curve of her breasts, he feasted his gaze on the perfection she revealed. Running his eyes back up her chest, he met her stare and smiled at her, slowly, the wicked curve of his lips letting her know that he liked what he saw, and that he'd caught her watching him look.

 _Two_ _can_ _play_ _at_ _that_ _game..._ He thought, forcibly dragging his mind away from further fantasies. Keeping eye contact, he noted that her fingers had started to toy with the fourth button on her shirt, absently slipping it out of the button-hole, then back in again. Walking towards his massage table, he rolled his shoulders, slipping the jacket free in a fluid, graceful movement. Not even pausing, his fingers snagged the collar, and spun it, catching the jacket on his forearm. He raised his hands, and with practiced flicks of his thumbs, he ran his hands down the front of his shirt, the buttons coming undone almost of their own accord. Castle saw the way her eyes flickered across his shoulders as the jacket came off, and he certainly noted the way her eyes followed his hands as he undid his shirt.

Still walking forward, he repeated he shoulder-shrug manoeuvre, his shirt joining his jacket. Naked from the waist up, he returned her challenging gaze, the faintest edge of a smirk on his lips as he realised that she as standing there, her shirt hanging open nearly to her navel, and all she could do was stare at his chest. She blinked, her eyes unfocused for a moment before she snapped herself back to reality, her face heating as she realised that he'd won the point this round.

Swinging one leg up onto the table, Castle looked over at her as he lay down, aware that she wasn't so much looking at him as running her eyes up his pants. Teasing, he asked,

"Are you going to stand there all day with your shirt undone, Beckett?" Flashing her a thousand-watt smile, he turned his head forward, placing it in the hole in the table, giving her some privacy.

Her face now a flaming scarlet, Beckett quickly finished undoing her shirt and placed it in the basket provided. A glance over at her partner confirmed that he was still being a gentleman instead of a tease, and the shirt was followed by her bra. Removing her gun and cuffs, she tucked them under the shirt, and slid the basket under the table with her foot, placing it so that it was directly beneath the hole.

Climbing onto the table, Kate paused for a moment before she lowered her face into the hole, running an admiring glance across Castle's naked back. Knowing he couldn't see her shamelessly checking him out while she sat there topless, she let herself admire the swell of his biceps and the breadth of his shoulders. A satisfied smirk on her lips, she was barely able to restrain herself from letting out an appreciative purr. She finally lay down, wriggling for a moment to get comfortable.

As soon as she was settled, she heard the sounds of people in the room, talking in hushed Chinese. The lights were dimmed, the sole source of illumination now the flickering golden candle light. Beckett felt some of the tension in her drain the instant her backside and legs were covered with a warm towel, and the deep, rumbling sigh from next to her let her know that Castle had just had the same treatment.

She heard the sounds of hands being rubbed together rapidly, and then her back was covered in warm oil, strong fingers trailing down her spine, testing, probing the knots, before starting to knead at her neck. Pulling in a deep breath, she let out a happy sigh, feeling the stress flow out of her as the fingers worked their magic.

For the next half hour, she lay there, bonelessly relaxed, her mind drifting idly as every trace of stress was ruthlessly sought out and removed. Drifting on the edge of drowsing, Kate couldn't help but be distracted by the noises her partner was making next to her. His visceral, vocal appreciation of the massage sparked a flare of desire in her every time, and in the near-sleep state she was in, her body had no hesitation in reminding her of the night before, and that morning.

 _He_ _really_ _must_ _have_ _had_ _some_ _knots_ _in_ _his_ _shoulders._ She mused, trying to drag her thoughts out of the gutter. _I_ _mean,_ _he_ _does_ _the_ _same_ _as_ _the_ _rest_ _of_ _us_ _during_ _the_ _day,_ _and_ _then_ _goes_ _home_ _and_ _spends_ _hours_ _on_ _his_ _laptop._ _That_ _has_ _to_ _give_ _you_ _knots..._ Thinking about the knots in his shoulders lead to thinking about his shoulders in general, which somehow turned into remembering to his naked shoulders next to her.

Idly, she wondered if Castle was any good at giving massages. Before she could let the thought continue, she felt a warm, moist towel being smoothed across her back. Cleaning off the oil, the brisk scrubbing helped bring her out of the lethargy that had overtaken her.

When the towel was taken away, she felt... refreshed, lighter. A relaxed smile on her face, she lifted her head out of the hole in the table and glanced over at her partner. His earlier teasing aside, he was bending over to hook the basket of his belongings out. Seeing her looking at him, Castle flashed her a quick smile and grabbed his shirt, slipping it on in a smooth movement as he turned away from her. Giving her the privacy to get dressed, he quickly buttoned his shirt once more and tucked it in. Buckling his belt, he fought the instinct to turn around when the calm atmosphere of the massage parlour was shattered by the ringing of Beckett's phone.

Doing up her bra, she flipped her shirt around her shoulders with one hand as she dug around in the basket to find her phone. She frowned as she saw the caller ID: Josh. She sighed and hit the answer button, putting it immediately on speaker. Her voice calm and even, she spoke.

"Hey Josh." She saw Castle freeze as he finished doing up his belt. Not knowing her state of undress, he didn't look around at the sudden interruption, but Kate could see the tension in his stance.

"Hey Kate." Josh replied, the busy sounds of many people evident in the background. "The conference finished a little early, I'm heading home now. I'll be at JFK by six. Any chance you can pick me up?"

Operating on auto-pilot, she did up her shirt, picked up her gun, and slid it into her holster. The sound of it being put away being all the clue he needed, Castle turned back around, shooting her a puzzled glance. Glancing at her father's watch, Kate sighed.

"Maybe. Depends on the case. If we don't get a hit on the APB, I'll be there." She reached for the phone laying on the massage table as the curtains were pulled back by the masseuse. Kate had assumed that the young girl who had carried the towels might have been the one to perform such magic with her fingers. Instead, she was surprised to see an elderly Chinese woman grinning at the two of them.

Bowing to Castle, she said something too quickly for Beckett to follow, even in Chinese. Returning the bow, he had barely straightened up before lifting her as though she weighed nothing. He spun her around as he laughed before placing her back down gently, speaking to her as rapidly as she had to him. Not able to understand what he was saying, Beckett could tell from his facial expressions that whatever she said to him, he was very happy to hear it, and his response was sincere.

Far from being taken aback at the gesture, the lady simply grinned toothlessly back at him, nodding and laughing. Beckett chuckled to herself at his antics, a quick glance between the two of them was enough for her. She knew from experience that was a Class 1 'Rick Castle catching up with an old acquaintance' smile he'd given the old lady, and she felt her lips twitch into a grin of their own, even as she shook her head, amazed by her partner's ability to charm anyone and everyone without even trying.

"Kate?" Josh's voice interrupted the moment, startling Beckett. "What on earth was that?" She picked up the phone, and switched it off speaker phone.

"Sorry," She replied, her mind whirling as she sought for a way to explain the situation. Somehow, she just knew that _'I_ _had_ _to_ _put_ _you_ _on_ _speaker_ _phone_ _because_ _I_ _was_ _half-naked_ _in_ _a_ _Chinese_ _massage_ _parlor_ _at_ _two_ _o'clock_ _in_ _the_ _afternoon,_ _doing_ _up_ _my_ _shirt._ _Castle_ _was_ _already_ _dressed,_ _but_ _I_ _didn't_ _want_ _him_ _to_ _answer_ _my_ _phone_ _because_ _that_ _would_ _be_ _awkward'_ wouldn't really do much good. Deciding that less was more, she continued. "I had you on speaker. I needed both my hands for a minute."

Remembering Rick's initial gesture, she bowed politely to the lady, and allowed her to lead the way out. The city air seemed to hit her like a solid wall after the delicately scented massage parlour. The smells of New York City battling with the fading traces of incense in her nose, Beckett wrapped herself in the calm, relaxing feel of her soothed muscles, allowing it to shield her from the bright daylight and harsh reality of the city.

Still not receiving an actual explanation, Josh thought better of pursuing the matter. Kate was obviously busy, and he was sure he could see his flight starting to board.

"Well, I'll see you around six, Kate. Bye." Beckett looked at her phone, frowning. He'd hung up on her without even waiting for her to say goodbye.

 _Not_ _a_ _damn_ _word_ _out_ _of_ _him_ _in_ _nearly_ _a_ _week,_ She fumed, _and_ _I_ _get_ _less_ _than_ _a_ _minute's_ _conversation_ _out_ _of_ _him._ _He_ _didn't_ _even_ _ask_ _how_ _I_ _was!_

In her irritation, she didn't realise she'd lengthened her stride until she noted with a start that Castle wasn't at her side. Slowing, she glanced back at him over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow at his comparative tardiness.

Quickening his pace for a few steps, he made his way level with her. The small stress lines around her eyes giving her inner turmoil away to his trained eyes, Rick decided she needed something to lighten the mood.

"Well, since you're in such a hurry, Beckett, it's my shout at Remy's on the way back." His face betraying not only his own desire for food, but the eagerness with which he awaited yet another lunchtime spent with just her, Castle offered her his arm.

"Since you insist, Castle." She replied, hoping that the caramel shake she was planning on downing when she got there would wash away the remainder of the bad taste that had formed in the back of her throat following the phone call.

The gentlemanly gesture just what she needed to push away the funk caused by the too-brief conversation with her boyfriend, she slipped her arm through his, their strides matching as they walked down the footpath. The relaxed feeling gradually coming back with each passing step, Kate idly wondered just when it had become almost a tradition for her to link arms with her partner as they headed to their favourite burger joint. Dismissing the actual detail of _when_ it had started, she let the thought go.

 _Good_ _food_ _and_ _good_ _company_ , she thought. _I_ _could_ _do_ _with_ _this_ _more_ _often._


	5. Chapter 5

Beckett sat uncomfortably and sighed. Running her hand through her hair, she leaned back, trying to ease her muscles. The seats at the airport, she decided, were obviously designed by somebody with no knowledge of anatomy. Her backside was numb, her legs hurt, and she gave passing consideration to getting one of them for the interrogation room, but reasoned that since torture was still technically illegal, Gates probably wouldn't go for it.

She looked at her watch, then back up to the arrivals board for what felt like the tenth time in as many minutes. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax for a moment.

 _It's_ _not_ _his_ _fault_ _the_ _plane_ _got_ _delayed._ She repeated to herself in her head, trying not to let it add to her already impressive irritation levels. There had been no luck with the ABP on Jonathan Marks, there had been a three-car pile up on East 34th on her way to JFK, she was hungry and now the plane was late.

Pulling out her cell phone, she checked it again, just in case she'd missed a call or a text. Seeing nothing new, she put the phone away and sighed. Forcing her mind away from the boring wait, she made herself think happier thoughts. Running the earlier events through her memories, the first thing that came to mind was just how thankful she was for the massage Castle had dragged her into. If it hadn't been for that, she realised, she probably would have snapped by now. A small smile creeping onto her lips, she remembered their lunch at Remy's on the way back to the precinct. The burgers, the two caramel shakes, and light-hearted banter with her partner had all combined to make her actually cheerful for the first time in recent memory.

Her stomach grumbled loudly at her, reminding her that thinking about Remy's probably wasn't going to help her hunger at all. Sending the offending organ a quick glare, she smiled again, this time in amazement. At some point, she realised, Castle had reminded her stomach what actual food at semi-regular hours were.

 _Must_ _be_ _the_ _late_ _cases_ _the_ _last_ _month,_ She mused. _I_ _haven't_ _eaten_ _at_ _my_ _apartment_ _in..._ She paused, thinking hard. She ran their recent cases through her head, counting. _This_ _case,_ _the_ _Jones_ _double_ _murder,_ _and_ _before_ _that_ _was_ _the_ _Mikkelsen_ _case..._

Thinking back, she could count less than half a dozen meals at her apartment in the last three weeks. Okay, so maybe a steady diet of coffee, bear-claws and take-out wasn't exactly healthy, but the stuff that Castle kept them supplied with? Her stomach let out another rumble as she recalled the Thai he'd brought in for lunch last week, and the chicken risotto they'd shared for dinner the same night, perched on the desk, bouncing theories as they absently stole pieces of chicken from each other when they thought they were unobserved.

Chuckling to herself, Kate finally admitted to herself that perhaps her partner had been onto something when he had casually referred to her as his work wife. She kept his antics reigned in (somewhat), and he kept her fed and caffeinated. Happier too, she thought, although even letting that particular thought loose in her head caused her to tense up slightly.

The abrupt shift in her mood enough to snap her out of her idle thinking, Beckett sat up straighter, her heart suddenly racing. Her mind whirling, she tried to uncover when she had gone from stressing and being irritable to daydreaming about her partner. The familiar jittery feeling in her stomach overtaking the hunger, her heart sank.

 _Oh_ _no,_ She thought. _Not_ _again..._ _Not_ _after_ _last_ _time..._

Detective Beckett wasn't a woman who scared easily. More often than not, she had a tendency to run directly at the source of her fear and try to beat it head on. That is why, all those years ago, she refused a night light, and it was also why she nearly lost herself down the rabbit-hole of her mother's murder. The years had taught her to shield herself well, from hurt, from pain, from fear.

A year ago, she'd been making progress, opening up more, especially where a certain writer was concerned. She'd finally faced down her inner demons enough to talk to him about... emotions, and he'd done what she'd feared most of all: he'd left. That summer, she'd worked harder on her cases and even harder on rebuilding her fortress.

When Rick Castle strolled back into her life, he found whatever progress he'd made up to that point washed away. Kate had retreated so far from him that she'd found, whether she was looking for it or not, the one thing that would keep him at arm's length: Josh. Although she hadn't known it at the time, her budding relationship with Demming had practically forced Castle away from her. In her hurt, she had wrapped herself in an impenetrable cocoon, and her partner had had the decency to respect her decision.

She had changed since then, she knew. Grown, healed, she was more... relaxed. The more she thought about it, the more Kate realised that he'd changed as well. Frowning slightly, the wheels of her mind turned, analysing. No more late night parties (unless they were with her and the boys), no string of meaningless relationships, and no more signing chests. While she'd been so intent on keeping him out of her heart (albeit unsuccessfully), he'd grown up. To her, Richard Castle, playboy millionaire author had imperceptibly changed into just Rick.

 _Well,_ She amended in her head. _At_ _home_ _he's_ _Rick,_ _at_ _work_ _he's_ _still_ _Castle._ It had been coming for a while, she realised. The more she'd seen of him outside the workplace, the more layers he unfolded. His relationship with his daughter had showed her that he could be serious when he needed to, hell, being a single father raising a teenage daughter would test anybody. The devotion he showed, the love and respect between the two of them tugged at her hear, as much for the simplicity and sweetness of it as the bittersweet tang it brought to her, knowing that she'd missed out on so much with her own father.

His generosity was bottomless, for those he cared about. Still a little uncomfortable when his wealth came into the picture, Beckett knew that what Martha had told her was true: that it doesn't change who you are, it just magnifies it. Richard had taken his innate compassion, and used his money and status to help people.

 _How_ _many_ _men,_ She wondered. _Would_ _casually_ _offer_ _a_ _hundred_ _grand_ _like_ _that?_ _On_ _the_ _chance_ _of_ _finding_ _a_ _lead_ _on_ _a_ _cold_ _case?_ She shook her head, still amazed that he hadn't even paused for thought, he'd just assumed that if that was what it took, he'd pay it.

The other thing that stuck in her mind vividly was how he was when it came to her current boyfriend. When Esposito had let her know in no uncertain terms that Castle wasn't following her around just for the books any more, and that the reason he had left was because he couldn't stand to see her with another man, she'd realised her mistake too late. Unable to bear the sight of the happy couple, he'd run away to lick his wounds, never knowing that they had missed the opportunity, like two boats passing silently in the night.

When he came back, she could see the difference in him. He'd obviously done a lot of soul-searching over that horrible summer, and come to the decision that he wanted to be in her life, even if it was just as a friend: he put her happiness above his own. Castle had not only respected her enough to not bring it up, he'd been a perfect gentleman the whole time, squashing whatever he might be feeling, and being polite to the doctor. She'd been sure he would have brought the subject up after their heated kiss in the alley, or the freezer, in fact, it was all she could do not to broach the subject herself on a few occasions since then.

The topic of her partner had become almost taboo when she was talking with Josh, the mention of 'Castle' or 'Rick' was usually enough to make him tense, a frown forming almost immediately. He hadn't been shy about pressing her on the issue, at least once the author returned from the Hampton's. In the end, Josh had found out that there were just some things you didn't push Kate Beckett on, and that was one of them. She had let him know, quietly and firmly, that he'd saved her life several times since he started shadowing her, and she'd returned the favour. It was one of the unwritten rules of the force: you don't bail on your partner. For better or worse, he was there, and she was grateful for it.

Relaxing a little as the thoughts percolated in her mind, she closed her eyes and let a soft smile form as she tried to remember exactly when she'd stopped considering him an annoying shadow and accepted him as her partner.

"Kate?" Her eyes flew open as she was addressed. Standing in front of her, bags over his shoulder, was Josh. Blinking rapidly to clear her head, Kate stood up.

Josh dropped his bags and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her. Dipping his head, he pressed his lips to hers as she snaked her arms around his hips. She kept the kiss light, unsure why it felt... odd.

Perhaps it was that she'd been daydreaming about Castle, and the kiss they shared. That had been... explosive. She'd been consumed by it, every nerve set afire, tingling with anticipation as their tongues fought for domination, his hands gripping her hair firmly, enough to be in control, commanding, but somehow still letting her know that she could pull back anytime she wanted, no that she had wanted to do that at all. In fact, if the guard hadn't brought his presence to her attention by sniggering, she had the distinct impression that neither of them would have been ale to stop anytime soon. Between them, they had three years of pent up sexual tension, and the kiss broke the dam, desire flooding them. If she was honest with herself, Beckett suspected that without the interruption, they'd have staggered back to the car and... With an abrupt mental shake, she pulled her mind away from doing her partner in the back of the police car in a darkened alley, to the boyfriend kissing her in the arrivals lounge of the airport.

The sense of wrongness returned in full-force. Before she had a chance to analyze the feeling, Josh slipped his tongue between her lips as he ran his hands down, cupping her backside, pulling her close as he squeezed her ass.

Kate froze, any enjoyment of his greeting washed away by a rising tide of anger. He hadn't even said hello, after a week away, and the first thing he did was jam his tongue down her throat and grope her ass, in the middle of the crowd? She'd have considered letting it slide, maybe, if she wasn't still angry with him. Jerking away from him, Beckett drew breath to speak her mind, when something over his shoulder caught her attention.

Frowning, she stepped around Josh, breaking his grip without losing a beat. She looked hard for a second, before confirming what she suspected: Jonathan Marks was in line, about to board a flight to Mexico.

"Kate, what the hell?" Josh demanded as he spun in place to face her, his good mood evaporating. Turning to face him briefly, Beckett spoke, her voice calm and firm, her don't-mess-with-me expression firmly in place.

"Josh, stay here." She saw him open his mouth to say something else, but his words died in his throat as he saw her flip back the edge of her jacket, unsnapping her holster as she walked casually towards the boarding line.

When she got to within a couple of feet, she slowed. Her voice firm, she spoke.

"Jonathan Marks? You are..." She got no further before he took one look at her face, turned, and bolted. Cursing under her breath, Beckett ran after him, hurdling over baggage as she raced through the crowd. Gaining on him rapidly, she braced herself as he skidded around a corner. Pushing off the wall, she launched herself at him as soon as he came back into view.

Her flying tackle sending them both sprawling, he was lucky enough to roll slightly. Before she could pin him, he spun, his fist lashing out at her face. Her training kicking in, Beckett deflected the punch , gripped his wrist and twisted it as she rolled.

Slamming his face into the floor, she straddled his hips as she yanked his arm up behind his back, her free hand already reaching for her cuffs. The metallic sounds of them closing around his wrists, she grinned at her suspect, the adrenaline still pumping through her.

"Jonathan Marks, you are under arrest for the murder of your brother." Climbing off, she hauled him to his feet, dragging him back towards Josh. Her boyfriend gaped at her, stunned. He knew, in some abstract sense, what she did on a daily basis but seeing the reality of her work in front of him, he had no words. Beckett, however did and wasn't shy about using them.

"Grab your bags, Josh, I need to get Mr Marks here back to the precinct before I drop you home." Josh frowned at her as he picked up on the implication: she was dropping him home, and then going back to work. Before he could say anything, she pulled out her cell phone. Seconds later, the call was answered.

"Esposito? Yeah, I'm at JFK, and I just arrested the brother. I'll be back at the precinct in half an hour, tops. Thanks." She hung up, and marched her captive towards the doors. Noticing the absence of a certain surgeon, she glanced back over her shoulder at him. "You coming?" Shaking her head, she kept walking. She had a job to do, and he was slowing her down. Reaching the Crown Vic, Beckett unlocked the door and shoved Marks inside. Closing the door firmly, she popped the trunk so that Josh could put his bags in. Grabbing her cell phone out again, she tapped out a quick text message and hit send.

***Arrested** **Marks** **at JFK,** **interview** **in** **~30,** **if** **you** **want** **in.***

It wasn't strictly necessary, but she felt that at least giving Castle the option of sitting in on the interrogation was the right thing to do, especially given how much help he'd been on the case, even from LA. She'd have called him, but Beckett was hungry, and the sooner she got the interrogation over with, the sooner she could have dinner. Texting was quicker, she decided. It had nothing to do with her not wanting to call her partner while her boyfriend was in the car, she told herself, but the excuse sounded thin, even in her own head.

Sliding into her seat, she did up her belt and started the car, looking over at her boyfriend briefly. Seeing he was buckled in, she pulled out of the car park, and headed back into the city.

Shifting in his seat, Josh tried to find a position that didn't let the springs in the seat dig into his back. After nearly a minute of squirming, he glanced over at Beckett, who had her eyes fixed firmly on the road. The set of her shoulders and the line of her lips told him quite clearly that she found something very amusing, and was only just holding it back. Seeing him looking at her, she asked him.

"Something wrong, Josh?" The smirk teasing the corners of her mouth, she had to turn back to the traffic, just to keep her expression neutral.

"This seat is probably the most uncomfortable thing I've ever sat in, that's what." He complained. Unable to control her face any longer, Beckett chuckled. "Why's that so damned funny?" Josh demanded, irritated that she found his discomfort amusing.

"Well since you asked," She replied. "I never thought I'd hear you agreeing with Castle on something..." She paused. Seeing his confused expression, she went on. "That's his seat, and he complains about that spring every time he gets into the car." A frown forming almost immediately, Josh shut his mouth and stared out the window, not trusting himself to speak.

Barely five minutes had passed before he broke the uncomfortable silence between them.

"Kate, what was that, back at the airport?" Sending him a glare, she responded.

"Josh, I am only going to say this once, so listen well." She paused, judging the effect of her words on him. "This is me at work, okay? The last thing I need right now is for us to have an argument about our relationship in front of a murder suspect, who I have to interview in less than half an hour."

"Are we going to argue?" He sounded a little confused, and quite a lot taken aback.

"Yes." She replied tersely, her tone shutting down any further conversation. The silence hanging thickly in the air between them, Josh wisely kept his mouth shut for the remainder of the drive.

* * *

The elevator doors opened, and Beckett marched her suspect out, followed by Josh. On their way to the interrogation room, her pace slowed briefly as she saw the familiar figure of her partner, sitting in his chair at her desk, talking casually with Ryan and Esposito. A little surprised to see him there given the hour, she threw him a small smile. Esposito, noting the look between the two of them, straightened up.

"You want me to put him in room one, Beckett?" He asked, a split second before he saw Josh. His face hardened slightly. He didn't really like the handsome doctor, and made no secret about it either.

Beckett slowed down, letting the Hispanic detective take custody of their suspect.

"Thanks, Esposito. I'll be in shortly." She didn't spare Marks a second glance as he was lead away to the interrogation room. Noting the plastic bag on the desk in front of Castle, she could see the distinctive outline of a take-out container inside. Her smile grew and he inclined his head towards her, letting her know that yes, the food was for her.

Moving around the desk, Beckett dumped her bag, then looked up at her boyfriend as her memory threw up a red flag, interrupting her train of thought. Frowning, she kept her tone carefully neutral, and asked "Josh, did you end up making those reservations for dinner tonight?" The blank look on her boyfriend's face being all the confirmation she needed, she sat down before glaring at him. She held her tongue, waiting for the penny to drop. An uncomfortable second passed, before he remembered the phone call the first night he was in LA, and guilt washed across Josh's face.

"Babe, I'm so sorry, I totally forgot-" Beckett felt something shift inside her, like the first few pebbles falling down a mountainside, seconds before the avalanche started moving.

"I figured you might have done." She snapped, cutting him off. "It's not like dinner with the girlfriend you haven't seen for a week is important, right? Please, ignore the fact that it's gone seven o'clock, and I haven't eaten since lunch time on the off chance that we'd be going out tonight for dinner." His face flushing with embarrassment, Josh opened his mouth to reply, but the sharp shake of her head and the laser glare that pinned him in place kept the words trapped. Ignoring him for a moment, she glanced over at Castle, sitting quietly, patiently in his chair, trying very hard to give the impression he wasn't there at all. Her attention drifted from him to the container of food on the desk between them. Seeing where she was looking, he slid the container across the polished wood, an easy smile on his lips as he focused on ignoring the tension between her and Josh, lurking behind him.

Opening the container, she heard her stomach growl in anticipation as the mouth-watering aroma hit her nose. Licking her lips, she eyes the beef cannelloni as she asked,

"That place on West 56th?" Somewhat spoiled by his take-out choices over the years, she assumed this was from one of his favourite restaurants, which just happened to be en-route from the loft to the precinct. Shaking his head, Castle replied,

" _Casa_ _del_ _Castillo_ , actually..." Beckett reached into the bag and found the knife and fork he'd placed in there. Cutting some off, she started eating, her throaty purr of appreciation bringing a sparkle to the author's eyes. Swallowing, Kate flashed a tight smile at him as she cut the next piece.

"Remind me to thank Alexis next time I'm round... This is divine!" A teasing smile creeping across his face, Castle asked.

"How could you tell?" Swallowing the second mouthful, she answered.

"She uses a bit less oregano than you do, and adds Parmesan to the mozzarella..."

Stepping forward, Josh spoke, threads of anger in his voice.

"Kate, can I talk you?" He glared at the author. "Privately?" Swallowing another mouthful, Beckett maintained eye contact with him as she selected another piece of food. Placing it in her mouth and chewing with deliberate slowness, she finished, carefully placing her fork down before responding.

"You can wait, Josh. I'm starving, and it's your fault. You ate on the plane, didn't you?" He nodded once, his face heating as he fumed. "Then let me finish my dinner. We'll talk when I'm done." Her tone hard, it left no room for argument. She spoke as if there were no way the future would be anything but the way she intended. Given the crap he knew he was in already, Josh bit his tongue. Crossing his arms defensively, he glanced around, looking for a chair. Beckett had her own, as did Castle, who had pulled out a notepad and was writing, an air of concentration about him as if the argument wasn't worth paying attention to. The nearest free seats were several desks over, as both Ryan and Esposito had returned to their own, and looked very much like they were intent on the paperwork that they were working on. Seeing nothing in the immediate vicinity, and trying hard to feel less like an unwelcome third wheel, he huffed in irritation as he leaned against a desk, annoyed at being forced to stay standing while Beckett continued eating her dinner.

Finishing the last of the cannelloni, Beckett closed the container and looked across the desk at her partner.

"Thanks, Castle, I needed that like you wouldn't believe." A grateful smile on her face, she leaned back in her chair, pleasantly full from the dinner Rick had brought in for her on the off chance that she hadn't eaten yet. Her face hardening, she stood up and walked around the desk. Sending Josh a heated look, she jerked her head, indicating that he head to interview room two for their 'private talk'.

Closing the door behind her, she turned. Pointing to the chair they usually sat suspects in, she spoke.

"Sit." Josh flopped down in the chair and crossed his arms again. "You wanted to talk, so talk." She demanded as she leaned against the one-way glass, her own arms folded.

"What the hell was all that about, Kate?" He spat out bitterly. Raising an eyebrow, Beckett answered, her face neutral.

"That? I'm not surprised you didn't recognise it, Josh... It's the actions of somebody who actually _cares_."

"That's not what I was talking about, and you know it. I meant what was with the food? How come you could tell his kid made it? Just how often have you been eating at his place, Kate?" Her face heating up, Kate felt her anger flare at the way he referred to Alexis, and his implication.

"Why don't you come right out and say what you're thinking Josh?"

"Fine! Have you been fucking him long?"

Kate snapped, her face flushing red as she stepped forward, slamming her hands down on the table between them. Her voice low and full of menace, she spoke slowly, a half-beat pause between each word.

"I am not screwing around." She glared at him. "Since you asked, Castle is a friend. I eat around there every now and then, when you are on call, because he invites me to his poker nights and movie nights. He brings leftovers in every now and then, because he knows what it's like when we get stuck on a case and have to work late." There was a moment's pause before Josh asked

"Okay, so what was with you at the airport tonight?"

"Excuse me? What was 'with me'?" Her hands on her hips, Beckett took a deep breath before continuing. "Sorry if I didn't feel like being groped in front of a crowd of strangers, Josh. I'd seen you for all of ten seconds before you were playing with my ass! How the hell do you think I was feeling?" On a roll, she swept clean over his attempted response. "You go away for a whole damn week, and I don't get one single phone call! Not even a lousy text, Josh. The first thing I heard from you was you trying to arrange a lift from the airport so you didn't have to catch a cab. You couldn't even be bothered to arrange dinner!" Beckett's voice had raised as she went on. When she finished, she was panting, her face flushed as she finally vented at him.

"I was busy!" He snapped back, on the verge of yelling.

"With what? You don't expect me to believe you were at the conference twenty four hours a day, do you? Would it have killed you to make a thirty second phone call when you knocked off for the day? That's all it would have taken, Josh... A quick call to see how my day was, just to say hi, that kind of thing, you know?"

"You could have called!" He retorted, angry that she seemed to believe it was all his fault.

"Yeah, I suppose I could have called, but you know, given the first conversation we had, I was curious if you would actually spare a couple of minutes and make the call yourself. I guess I'm just not worth the effort, am I? Or do you just not care at all what I think?"

"I care, you know that, Kate..." He said, trying to calm her down, the heat fading from his voice.

"Do I, Josh? You hadn't spoken to me in a whole damn week, and the first words out of your mouth weren't 'hi, how are you?' or even 'what are you doing?'. They were you trying to score a lift home..." Beckett replied, thoroughly pissed off by his total inability to actually see what he'd done wrong,

"Oh, come on, Kate! Are you really going to pull that card?"

"I'm not pulling any card, Josh. I'm sick of you being such a self-absorbed asshole. It's taken me a while, but I've finally realised that's what's been pissing me off the last couple of months. It's always about you... You go away, and just expect that I'll be here when you come back. I see you when it's convenient for you, and if something comes up with my work, you get all snarky, because I'm just a cop, it's not like I'm out there saving lives, is it? What we have isn't a relationship... it's a year-long booty call, and I'm sick of it, Josh. I want somebody who can be there for me, somebody to come home to every night, and wake up next to every morning. Since you can't or won't, we're done."

Stunned, he gaped at her for a few seconds, before he gathered his scrambled thoughts. He couldn't remember the last time anybody had spoken to him like that, and it stung. More than that, he knew she was deadly serious about what she said. Clenching his jaw, he couldn't actually recall the last time somebody dumped him either.

"So what, that's it? You're not even going to give us a chance? Try to work something out?"

"You've had your chance, Josh, when you didn't go to Haiti. I was nearly ready to call it quits then, but you stayed. If our relationship meant something to you, you'd have put more effort into it, but you didn't." She walked over to the door and unlocked it. Throwing it open, she addressed him once more, her voice calm again. "Grab your bags and call a cab. I've got work to do." She walked out of the interview room without a backwards glance, her face set, refusing to shed a tear as another relationship crashed and burned.

Seething, she headed for the other interview room, where Jonathan Marks had been cooling his heels for the last half an hour. Placing her hand on the door handle, she turned, calling out to her partner.

"Castle, are you coming?" Standing up, he walked over quickly, giving her a quick once-over, making sure she was okay. Giving him an almost imperceptible nod of her head, she let him know that she was still fine to interrogate their suspect.

As the door closed behind them, Esposito turned to his partner, an evil grin on his face.

"I so wouldn't want to be Marks right about now." Both moving on an unspoken impulse, they headed for the observation room. As the door closed behind them, Ryan's voice could be heard.

"Ten bucks says she gets him to confess in under ten minutes."

"You're on, bro."

* * *

Kate sat back on her couch with a sigh. Opening the tub of triple chocolate ice-cream with one hand, she handed Lanie a spoon. A minute passed in silence, before Lanie broke the ice.

"Honey, are you okay?" Kate pulled the spoon out of her mouth, inspecting it for a moment, thinking.

"I think I am, Lanie..." She turned her attention to her friend at the other end of the couch. "It's not like I had no idea it was coming..." She paused, a small frown appearing. When she didn't follow her statement up for a moment, Lanie prodded her.

"You gonna tell me what's going on in that head of yours, girl?" A brief, sad look passing over her face, Beckett replied.

"Just thinking how different this is to last time..."

"How so?" Lanie had a fair idea what was running through her friend's head, but she wanted to get her to admit it out loud for a change.

"Last time..." She trailed off for a second. "I broke up with Tom for Castle. I left it too late, he'd already tried to move on with Gina..." She dug out another spoonful of ice-cream, remembering the sting of rejection as Castle left the precinct with his ex-wife on his arm.

"And this time...?" Lanie prompted gently. She knew if she pushed too hard too soon, Kate would clam up. Getting information out of her friend was like fishing, sometimes. Beckett sighed, staring absently at her distorted reflection in the back of the spoon.

"This time, it's because I knew it wasn't going anywhere. That, and..." She bit her lip, wondering if she was getting ahead of herself. Her face lighting up as she scented blood in the water, Lanie pounced on the slip.

"What happened?" Her face lit up as her mind whirled, considering possibilities. _Surely_ _not._ She thought. _She_ _couldn't_ _have_ _kept_ _it_ _a_ _secret_ _if_ _they_ _were_ _already_ _together..._

"Nothing..." Kate replied, a blush stealing across her cheeks.

"Katherine Beckett, don't you lie to me..." Lanie threatened, not willing to let it drop, not with a teaser like that.

"It's nothing really..." Beckett replied, staring fixedly at the tub of ice-cream in her lap. She looked at her friend and saw the look on the ME's face. Deciding she'd better spill, she went on. "We spoke on the phone a couple of times while he was in LA. About the case... and then we just talked." Pausing, she scooped more ice-cream as she muttered almost under her breath. "and then he read me to sleep last night."

Before Lanie could read anything into her admission, a knock at the door disturbed their conversation. Raising an eyebrow at the detective, Lanie asked,

"Expecting company?" Puzzled, Beckett shook her head as she stood up, handing over the nearly empty tub. Peering through the peephole, she saw a man in a familiar delivery uniform. She opened the door and signed the pad. Accepting the package, she closed and locked the door behind her as she made her way back to the couch.

Opening it, she laughed out loud at the contents: two tubs of her favourite ice-cream, and a note. Scanning the hand-written letter quickly, she handed it to the waiting ME.

_Didn't know if you were up for company, thought this might be of some help._

_RC_

Her eyebrows both raised in the direction of the detective currently digging into her tub of chocolate fudge swirl, Lanie waited patiently for answers.

"We were talking about his books, and one thing lead to another, and he read me to sleep, okay?" Lanie didn't say anything, she just sat and smirked, amused as hell that the two of them finally seemed to be on the same page. After a moment, she asked

"So you two are…?" Blushing again, Kate replied.

"No… not yet, anyway."

"But you want there to be, right?" Sighing, Beckett finally voiced what she'd been thinking for a while now.

"Yes, Lanie, I want there to be something. Happy now?" A smug look on her face, Lanie grinned like the cat that got the cream.

"Oh, I'm happy all right, girl. Took you long enough to admit it!" She paused. "Just to be sure though, there's no Gina waiting in the wings this time?" Chuckling, Kate blushed as she recalled the incident with Nathalie.

"No, there isn't anybody else with him."

"That look right there? That is telling me there's more to the story than you're letting on…" Leaning forward, she snagged a spoonful of ice-cream from the fresh tub as she asked. "What happened? I want details…" Lanie could quite clearly see the rosy tint rapidly covering her friend's face, and _knew_ there was some juicy information she was holding back.

"He called me from LA the day he got there. You remember Nathalie Rhodes?"

"That actress playing Nikki Heat? The one who stole your coffee?"

"That's the one. You remember how she tried to sleep with Rick for 'research'?"

"You might have mentioned it once or twice…" Lanie replied, understatement coating her tone thickly.

"Well, she tried again almost as soon as he got to the studio." Her mouth dropping open, the ME couldn't stop the words from slipping out.

"What did he do…?"

"He called me for help. She wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, and he'd practically barricaded himself in the toilets to keep away from her." The pleased tone in the detective's voice quite obvious, she continued. "We talked, and he pulled the 'fake girlfriend on the phone' routine. If he actually had another woman he was interested in, he'd have called her, wouldn't he?" Lanie nodded, eager for more.

"So you were on the other end of the phone while he talked dirty to his pretend girlfriend?" Of all the things she'd suspected, Kate Beckett getting hot and heavy on the phone with the author was probably the last thing she'd have thought of. Kate nodded, not really trusting herself to answer. The silence hung in the air for a second before the ME prompted her. "And…? How was it? What happened?"

"It was… good." She bit her lip, recalling the effect his words had had on her. "Very good... I may have gotten a little caught up in the whole thing."

"Kate, you can't tease me like that! Details!"

"He might have asked a question as part of the conversation, and I might have accidentally answered it…"

"Oh no you didn't!"

"I did… He asked, in character, what I was wearing, and I told him. I kinda let it slip that knew he liked the top I was wearing as well." Her face flaming, Kate couldn't help but smile, glad to be able to talk about it openly. "So yeah, he knows I'm interested, and if our call last night is any indication, I'm pretty sure he is too."

Digging into the ice-cream again, they spent the rest of the evening engaging in the time-honored rituals of a post break-up girls night in.

* * *

Beckett took a deep breath, steadying herself as she stood outside the store.

 _If_ _you_ _'_ _re_ _going_ _to_ _do_ _this,_ She thought firmly. _You_ _might_ _as_ _well_ _go_ _the_ _whole_ _hog._

Pushing open the door, she entered, her confident smile at odds with the churning in her stomach. The cheery jingle of the bell a she stepped into the store was a good omen, she decided as she approached the counter, her mind made up.

* * *

Castle sat in his office, typing rapidly on his laptop. With the case closed, he was taking the time to get some writing done. Beckett was on call today, he knew, and given the fight with Josh the night before he was certain she'd spent the night in, most probably with Lanie. Giving her some space, he focused instead on his job, and keeping Gina from beating him to death with his latest manuscript.

The clicking of his keys the only sound in the office, he was interrupted by the chime of his cell phone. Hitting save, he dug the phone out as he sighed, a little irritated at being disturbed just as he'd gotten into the groove, and he _really_ needed to get some more done on the next chapter. His irritation evaporated, replaced by a smile when he noted that the sender was none other than his gorgeous partner. A little confused as to why she'd be messaging him rather than calling, he opened the message, hoping for once that there wasn't a body.

***Rick, if you don't have any plans today, do you fancy a burger at lunch? My shout.***

Surprised, he checked his watch before tapping out a reply.

***No plans. Where and when? :-)***

The smiley face quite accurately reflecting the grin now plastered on his own face, Castle tried hard to control the nerves that had already started to churn in his stomach. Impatiently, he waited for her response while his foot tapped out an irregular rhythm on the floor, unable to sit still. Barely thirty seconds later, his phone buzzed in his hand, still managing to startle him despite the fact that he was waiting for it.

***Remy's, 1pm ok?***

Sending a silent prayer to whomever might be listening, Rick let out a heartfelt sigh of happiness. Glancing at his watch again, he realised that he had less than an hour to wait. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly as he typed his response. He paused for several seconds with his finger hovering over the send button. Thinking better of it, he deleted what he had written, and tried again.

 _No,_ He thought. _Best_ _not_ _to_ _rush_ _into_ _anything_ _just_ _yet..._

***I'll see you there***

* * *

Stepping out of the cab, Castle paid the driver and headed towards Remy's. Checking the time out of habit, he saw that he still had five minutes to spare.

 _Good._ He thought. _Early_ _for_ _once._

Getting more nervous by the minute, the writer made his way over to their regular booth surprised to find Beckett there already. Her eyes downcast, he could see her lip was slightly swollen from being pulled between her teeth repeatedly. Lost in her thoughts, his presence startled her slightly, her head jerking up and their eyes meeting across the table. Caught by his gaze for a moment, her hands fidgeted nervously in her lap.

"Kate?" His voice breaking the silence, a small frown creased Castle's forehead. "Are you okay?" The butterflies in his stomach were more like a herd of elephants, making feel almost nauseous as he ran his eyes over her, trying to decipher why she'd asked him to meet her here on her day off. She drew a deep breath and held it for a second.

 _Here_ _goes_ _nothing,_ She thought, bracing herself as she took the plunge. "Rick, I have a couple of things for you." She swallowed, trying to remember the words she'd spent most of the night before trying to get straight in her head.

"Okay..." His tone hesitant, Castle decided it would be best to wait and see where she was going with it. If he had learned anything over the years, it was to let a woman have her say first, it prevented a lot of accidental foot-in-mouth incidents. Pulling her hands out from under the table, she handed him a square box. Deep navy blue and unmarked, the box was clearly designed for jewellery, further confusing the author.

"A gift, Castle, and a question." She fought to keep her voice steady as she met his eyes once more. In answer to his unspoken query, she continued. "The question comes after." Taking the box from her outstretched hands like it was ticking ominously, he carefully opened it.

Inside, lay a necklace. No, he realised upon closer inspection, it was two. A matched set, they took his breath away. Nestled together, the two halves of a glittering ying and yang. The ying glittered like a fallen star, cut from a flawless diamond, the teardrop, it hung point upwards on a fine white gold chain. The yang lay nestled against its partner, cut from obsidian. A black so deep it almost glowed, it was threaded on a thicker chain hanging point down. The chain was still white gold, but more masculine, and not as long. The facets catching the light from the window behind them, Rick could only stare at them, his pulse thundering in his ears as he tried to make sense of what he saw, of what it might mean. He swallowed thickly, forcing himself to remember how to breathe.

Quietly, Kate spoke, her voice soft and vulnerable as she explained.

"You were right, Rick, when you told me that Will wasn't right for me. Turns out, the same could be said for Josh and I as well. We weren't working, I guess we were just too much alike." She gave him a soft smile. "It was a panda of a relationship, Castle, it just took me a while to see it." Understanding flooding him, Castle recalled what he'd told her years ago, when they were discussing her ex: ying needs yang, ying-ying is a name for a panda. Seeing the change in his eyes, she continued. "I'm too cynical, Castle, I put up walls after my mom was killed, and until you came along, I didn't realise just how much sunlight those walls cut off. You are everything I'm not, and when we're together, it all just... works. Balance, harmony, whatever you want to call it, I'm better because of you, with you."

His heart soaring, Rick placed the necklaces on the table between them, and took her hands in his own. Still having trouble believing he was awake, he asked quietly.

"And the question, Kate?" Running his thumbs across the back of her hands, he could feel the hammering of her heart, matching his own.

"Will you..." She bit her lip briefly, before laying herself bare. "Will you wear it, Rick?" Unable to speak the words herself, Castle knew what she was asking. Would he wear the necklace and think of her, and the matching jewel around her neck? Would he be her other half, complete the circle and make them both whole? The words rising from him unbidden, he responded, his voice full of emotion.

"I would be honoured." He gave her hands a gentle squeeze, before slipping free. Picking up the box once more, he opened it and withdrew the necklaces. His attention still on her, he undid the top button of his shirt and placed the chain around his neck. Doing the clasp up, he felt something connect inside him, the weight of it around his neck and the slight coolness of the metal combined to feel... right. His eyes full of emotions he didn't feel the need to hide any longer, he traced one fingertip over the obsidian facets.

"Thank you, Kate." He said softly. Seeing the gold of the chain in place, the yang nestled against his chest, Kate finally allowed herself to relax, letting out the breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. Her goofy smile matching his, she scooted around the booth so that her thigh was pressed against his. Looking at him properly, she allowed herself to just... look for a few seconds. No need to worry about being caught staring, no feeling guilty. Raising her hands behind her neck, she undid her necklace. Her mother's ring in one hand, she allowed the chain to slip free onto the table. Picking up the white gold one, she threaded the ring onto it. Sliding into place, Johanna's ring hung directly around the diamond, framing it without touching.

Nudging her partner with her elbow, Beckett turned slightly, her back resting against him. Taking the necklace from her, Castle wrapped his arms around her as he placed the chain around her neck, the ring and diamond slipping into her shirt. Fastening it, he felt the fine tremors in her as his fingertips brushed the back of her neck. Feather-light, he ran his fingers up the side of her neck, trailing down her jaw. The barest hint of pressure as he reached the point of her chin, and she pivoted around to face him, never breaking contact with his fingers.

Her face tilted up, lips parted slightly, she drank in the sight of him. Not needing to resist the magnetic pull of him any longer, she slowly leaned in closer to him, the proximity warming her. Dipping his head, Rick brought their lips together, so gently she wasn't sure they'd made contact. Her breath catching, she let the kiss deepen slowly, lips moving slowly, tasting each other.

Rick slid his hand along her cheek, weaving his fingers through her hair as he drew a breath, the scent of cherries filling his nose as surely as the thoughts of the woman in his arms filled his mind.

Unhurried, the kiss was relaxed, and full of promise. There wasn't anything needing their attention, their lives weren't under threat, and they could just relax and enjoy it. Slowly breaking apart, they rested their foreheads against each other, slightly out of breath. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, Kate looked up at her boyfriend and batted her eyelashes at him. Pulling back slightly, she asked teasingly.

"So, Rick, what does a girl have to do to get some food around here?"


End file.
